


Reunited

by MajorWolfe



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-11-07 10:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 27,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11056677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajorWolfe/pseuds/MajorWolfe
Summary: Bernie finally reconnects with her daughter after her divorce, but it happens in a way she'd never have imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I seem to have hit a massive wall with 'Fighter' at the moment, I've not forgtten about it but I just can't seem to write anything I'm happy with, so I thought I'd post something I've had on my laptop for a while now. Please let me know what you think and if you'd like to read more.

Bernie mentally ticked items off the list in her head as she stepped from the shop laden down with bags. She couldn't remember the last time she’d had to go Christmas shopping, it has always been left to Marcus in the past. She’d got everything she wanted for Serena but was keeping her eyes open for anything else she thought her new partner would like. Jason was sorted, as were Charlotte and Cam, she’d briefly thought about just giving her children money but quickly decided against it, wanting them to know she’d actually put thought into their gifts.

She shivered slightly as she walked down the high street, juggling the bags in her hands to allow her to pull her beanie down over her ears as she fought her way back through the hoards of Christmas shoppers. She was going to put these bags in her car and then go in search of the last few things she needed, something for Morven, the name she’d drawn from the secret Santa, and something for Mikey Fletcher. Serena always bought the kids little gifts, she spent so much time with Evie these days that she knew exactly what the oldest Fletchling would like, Ella was easy, anything with princesses on would make her happy, and little Theo’s current obsession with dinosaurs meant he was relatively easy to buy for too. Mikey on the other hand always left Serena stumped so Bernie had offered to step in and get his present, she was sure she'd find something.

Bags safely in the car, Bernie trudged back up the main street of shops, tugging the collar of her coat higher as she walked, she hated winter. Give her an arid desert any day of the week. She frowned slightly as she heard a loud, hacking cough, a second cough a moment later drawing her attention to a homeless person, curled into a tight ball beside some bins in an alleyway, she smiled sadly, no one should have to sleep rough, especially not at this time of year.  

Bernie quickly made her way into a nearby coffee shop, making her way over to the person just a few short minutes later, “hello” she said as she crouched down by the figure, unwashed blonde hair poking out from under a black beanie, their body hidden by a coat that was far too big for them and a tatty old sleeping bag that looked like it wouldn't be much use in this weather. “I erm, I got you some tea, and a sandwich.”  Bernie frowned as she got no response other than another coughing fit, up close she could hear the wheeze as the figure struggled for breath, “hello, can you hear me?” Food discarded on the floor, Bernie snapped into doctor mode, “can you hear me?” Bernie repeated, reaching into the sleeping bag and pulling out a frail wrist to check for a pulse, “I'm a doctor, can you squeeze my fingers if you can hear me. She felt only slightly relieved when the fingers she was holding fluttered against her own, “I'm going to take you to hospital okay? You're going to be alright.”  She carefully slipped her hands under the sleeping bag to lift the person into her arms, one under their knees, the other in the small of their back. She went to stand up but had to pause, suddenly feeling like her bones were made of jelly, when the head of the person in her arms lolled lifelessly onto her shoulder, Bernie recognising the face instantly, struggling to fight back tears as she choked out just one word “Charlotte.”

Charlotte fought against the fog in her head, “Mumma?” she mumbled, her forehead creasing as she frowned, not entirely sure what was happening.

Bernie kissed Charlotte’s forehead, noticing for the first time just how cold her daughter was, “Mumma’s got you Darling, I’m going to take you to the hospital, you’re going to be okay.”

Once Charlotte was settled in the car, Bernie dialled Serena’s mobile number as she began to drive towards the hospital, “hello you, all shopped out?” she answered after the first ring.

“I erm, I’m coming in Serena, I’m bringing in a female, 22 years old, GCS of 11, pulse approximately 90, suspected pneumonia, she’s probably hypothermic too” Bernie paused for a moment before whispering, “Serena, it’s Charlotte.”

Serena almost dropped the phone in shock, “Char… right, okay, I’ll get things prepped, bring her straight up when you get here, we’ll take good care of her.”

“Will you be her doctor Serena?” Bernie knew she couldn’t treat her daughter and Serena was possibly the only other person, with the exception of Marcus, that she’d trust to take care of her baby.

“Of course” Serena hadn’t intended to let anyone else treat Bernie’s daughter, “but I’m going to give Darwin a call, just in case we need their expertise.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s okay, you just concentrate on getting her here safely okay, and when you get here, I’ll focus on getting Charlotte back on her feet, is there anything else I need to know? Any other health conditions?”

“She’s allergic to penicillin, the last time she had it she went into anaphylactic shock and erm, she had asthma as a child, nothing too severe though, and as far as I’m aware she hasn’t had an inhaler or anything since she was about 12.”

“Noted” Serena nodded, “I’m going to go and get everything ready for you, drive safely okay and I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll see you soon” Bernie agreed before ending the call, glancing over at Charlotte when she heard her wearily mumble her name, “I’m here Charlotte” she gently squeezed her daughter’s knee through the fabric of the sleeping bag, “Mumma’s got you, you’re safe now.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned on updating this once a week (like home) but I'm still so happy about meeting Jemma yesterday that I thought I'd share that joy and give you all an extra chapter. I hope you like it :)
> 
> I probably should have mentioned this at the start of the first chapter, but as I started writing this ages ago, it's set sort of late November/early December so Elinor isn't dead and Cameron's still working on AAU.

Bernie parked in her usual spot once she arrived at the hospital and easily lifted Charlotte's frail body into her arms, the lift up to AAU taking far longer than Bernie had ever known it take before.

Serena was waiting by the lifts for them, and ushered Bernie straight into the trauma bay where the team Bernie worked with on a regular basis began working on Charlotte as soon as Bernie had laid her in the bed, Serena had obviously briefed them well, “Bernie” Serena said softly, putting her hand on her partner’s arm, “Cam’s in the office, but if you don’t want to…”

“No” Bernie interrupted, “I erm, I’ll tell him, I want to ask if he knows why she was on the streets.”

“Okay, well, leave Charlotte with me, I’ll take good care for her, I promise.”

Bernie nodded, “I know you will Serena, thank you.” 

Serena smiled softly at Bernie before turning towards Charlotte, asking the team how they were getting along with the tasks she’d assigned them before Charlotte had arrived, Bernie had just stepped out of the trauma bay when she heard Charlotte’s pained voice weakly cry out for her, “Mumma.”

“I’m here Charlotte” Bernie was by her daughter’s side almost instantly, “you’re okay.”

“Mumma” Charlotte sobbed, twisting and turning on the bed, confused and disorientated she wasn’t sure what was happening, why there was suddenly so much happening around her, why she kept feeling people touching her.

“You’re okay Charlotte, you’re okay” she said, gently stroking her daughter’s cheek as she stood by the bed, trying not to get in anyone’s way.

“Mr Di Lucca” Serena looked over at Raf who was still trying to find a vein to set up an IV, “help me move the bed away from the wall.”

Raf frowned but did as Serena asked without questioning, not really sure why they’d moved the bed closer to the middle of the room until he saw Bernie, she’d realised exactly what Serena was doing, and thanked them both as she moved into the gap between the head of the bed and the wall, allowing her to stay close to her daughter, ensuring Charlotte could still see her mother when she found the energy to open her eyes, but keeping Bernie out of the way, “I’m here Charlotte” she carried on stroking her cheek until she was settled, “I need you to listen to me okay?” Charlotte managed the tiniest of nods and Bernie continued to stroke her cheek as she spoke softly to her, “I know you’re scared but you’re safe, you’re in hospital, on the ward I work on so I am certain you’re in the best possible hands. I know you’re scared but you’re okay, the thing you can feel on your face, that’s an oxygen mask, it should help your breathing a little, the person holding your left hand, that’s Raf, he’s a doctor and he’s trying to find a vein so we can give you some fluids and some medication to help you feel better.”  Bernie continued talking to Charlotte, introducing everyone and letting her daughter know what they were doing and why they were doing it and Serena couldn’t help but smile as she watched Bernie with her daughter, she was certainly doing well at keeping the distressed girl settled, “and then there’s Serena, she’s my co-lead on the ward and a very good friend of mine, if I was in your position she’d be the one I’d want treating me, she won’t let anything bad happen to you okay?”

Serena stepped forwards and gently squeezed Charlotte’s arm through the mass of blankets she’d been wrapped in, “although I wish it had been under better circumstances, it’s a pleasure to meet you Charlotte, and your Mum’s right, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you’re treated like royalty whilst you’re on my ward.”

Bernie smiled up at Serena and bent to kiss Charlotte’s forehead, “I need to leave you in Serena’s capable hands for a few minutes” she said, noticing the fear flash across Charlotte’s eyes.  “I need to make sure they have your details right so they can access your notes” she said, wanting to find out the situation between her children before letting Charlotte know Cameron was on the ward, “I’ll be back as soon as I can be, and I promise Serena and Raf will talk you through everything that’s done to you while I’m gone.” She looked up at Serena.

“Of course we will” she nodded, Raf voicing his agreement too.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can be Darling” Bernie kissed Charlotte’s forehead again, “I love you.”

Bernie slowly walked out of the trauma bay, reluctant to leave her daughter, but knowing she needed to speak to her son, “That’s the IV set up, there’s warmed saline, that should help get your body temperature back up, and antibiotics to help you feel better, we’ll get you some pain relief too, make sure you’re comfortable” she was slightly relieved when she heard Raf’s voice, she knew her colleagues would take good care of her daughter, and she fell even more in love with Serena when, after Charlotte let out a scared whimper, the brunette instantly pulled off one of her gloves and gently stroked Charlotte’s cheek the way she’d seen Bernie comfort her daughter, Serena’s familiar voice reminding Charlotte that she was safe and that her Mum would be back soon.

Serena’s words spurred Bernie on and she quickly made her way into the office, “Mum” Cam jumped to his feet as soon as he saw her, “what’s going on?”

“Charlotte’s here” Bernie said as she pulled off her coat, hat and scarf, dumping them on her desk along with her handbag, more important things to worry about than hanging them neatly on the coat rack _. _

“Char?”

“In the trauma bay” Bernie cut straight to the point, wanting to get back to her daughter as soon as possible, “I found her on the streets, she’s obviously been sleeping rough for a while, what the bloody hell happened Cam?”

“I, I, I don’t know” he sat back in the chair he’d been sat in just seconds ago, “I…”

“You didn’t think to tell me she’d left home? When did you last speak to her?”

“A few months ago” Cam admitted, “I erm, I don’t live with Dad any more.”

“You…" Bernie felt her concern for both her children grow as she sat down beside her son, "what’s been going on Cam?”

He began to fiddle with his fingers, a nervous habit he’d had since he was a child, “he’s got a new girlfriend, I got sick of her bad mouthing you and told her she had no right to talk about you when she’d never even met you, Dad had a go at me for arguing with her so I left, I erm, I share a flat with some other med students, Char stopped answering my calls and texts a few weeks after I left so I assumed Dad or his new woman had told her she couldn’t speak to me any more… is she… will she be okay?”

“She’s hypothermic and, if we’re lucky she’s got a severe case of bronchitis, but I think it’s more likely to be pneumonia.”

Cam swore, “can I see her?” 

“Not just yet, wait until she’s out of the trauma bay and settled, “I’m going to go back into her but I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything.”

“Thank you.”

Bernie nodded and gently squeezed Cam’s shoulder, “I’m going to get back to Charlotte, but if you erm, if you need to take the rest of the shift off then you’re welcome to stay in here.”

Cameron nodded and ran his fingers through his hair, “thanks Mum.”

Serena was still stroking Charlotte’s cheek when Bernie made her way back into the trauma bay, the brunette explaining what would happen when Charlotte was taken for a chest x ray once they’d managed to raise her temperature slightly, “and here she is look” Serena smiled when she saw Bernie, “I said she wouldn’t be long.”

“I hope you’ve been behaving yourself” Bernie said softly as she returned to her position behind the head of the bed, her fingers once again stroking her daughter’s cheek.

“As good as gold” Serena smiled, ensuring her fingers brushed against Bernie’s as she moved away from Charlotte, “Doctor Valentine’s coming down to take a look at her, in case we have to move her up to HDU on Darwin, I asked for Jac but she’s in theatre and will be for several hours.”

Bernie nodded, “Doctor Valentine was the one who operated on me” Bernie told her daughter, “so I can vouch for his medical skills, and between you and I” she leaned slightly closer to her daughter and stage whispering, “he’s a bit dishy too.”

The shocked look on Serena’s face was worth it when Bernie saw the corners of Charlotte’s mouth curl into a faint smile, “well, well, well Ms Wolfe” Serena smirked as she wrote Charlotte’s latest obs on her chart, “I’d never have guessed he was your type.”

“A little young for my liking but I can still appreciate good looks when I see them” she looked down at Charlotte, “with the rumour mill in this hospital, I give it until the end of the week now until people think I’m dating him” she told her with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's lots of fluffy MummaWolfe in this chapter so I hope you all like it!

As Charlotte’s condition became more stable the extra nurses slowly began to leave the room once they were no longer needed until just Serena and Raf were left in the room with Bernie and her daughter, “right Charlotte” Raf spoke after writing something on her chart, “I think it’s time for me to leave you in Ms Campbell’s capable hands but I'm sure I'll be seeing you again before you're discharged” he said, gently squeezing her arm through the blankets and nodding in response to Bernie’s thanks before leaving the two women alone with Charlotte.

“I'm going to find a porter” Bernie noticed Serena spoke to Charlotte even though the girl was struggling to fight the fatigue that was threatening to overcome her body, “we’ll be able to monitor you just as well in the side bay as we can in here and you’ll probably be more comfortable.” Ollie had already been down to examine Charlotte, he’d agreed with Bernie's initial diagnosis, that her daughter was probably suffering from pneumonia and he agreed with the treatment plan Serena had drawn up, at least until they got her test results back and knew for sure what they were dealing with. He’d said that, unless Charlotte began to deteriorate, there was no reason why she shouldn't be treated on AAU, something that had pleased Serena, she’d be able to keep an eye on Bernie as well as Charlotte.

It wasn't long before Charlotte was settled in the side bay, Bernie now stood by the side of the bed, watching her daughter fight sleep, “close your eyes” she said softly, her fingers once again brushing Charlotte’s cheek, “get some sleep, you're safe now.”

“Mumma” It was the only word that had passed Charlotte’s lips since Bernie had found her.

“I'm here darling, and I promise you I'll still be here when you wake up, “I'm not going anywhere, not any more.”

“How are you doing?” Serena asked Bernie softly once Charlotte was asleep. She moved over a chair and gently squeezed Bernie’s shoulder, encouraging her to sit down.

Bernie sighed, “I'll be better when I know what the bloody hell Marcus has been playing at. Cam’s moved out to live with some other med students and Charlotte… She was always Daddy's little girl so God knows what happened for him to see her out on the streets.”

Serena sighed sadly as she stood behind Bernie, gently massaging her shoulders, “if there’s anything I can do…” a loud grumble from Bernie’s stomach cut off her offer, “I'll go and get you a sandwich” she dropped a kiss to Bernie’s hair, “I won't be long.” 

Bernie was sat in the exact same position when Serena returned with a sandwich and coffee for then both. “Thank you” Bernie reluctantly stopped stroking Charlotte’s cheek to take the food Serena was offering her, “my bag’s in the office, help yourself to the money for…”

“Don't be silly” Serena interrupted her as she pulled over a second chair, “you bought the Shiraz last night.”

“Of course” Bernie nodded, “sorry.”

“Hey no” Serena put her hand on Bernie’s knee, “you don't need to apologise.  Look” she gestured to the monitors attached to Charlotte, “you know exactly what those numbers mean, her temperature’s started to rise already, her pulse has come down and with the oxygen her sats are good. She's a fighter Bernie, like her mum.” Serena paused for a moment before telling Bernie, “when I first saw her, I thought we were going to have to intubate.”

“I thought you would too” Bernie admitted, “she was barely breathing when I found her.”

“What happened Bernie?”

“I don't know. I'd just been to put some bags in the car, I was going back to the shops when I heard a horrible cough” she said, reaching out to stroke Charlotte’s cheek again when, almost right on cue she began to cough.  “I went into a cafe, got a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich, and some flapjacks, I was going to give them enough money to get to the walk in centre to be checked over but then I realised it was more serious than that and decided to bring them in instead of waiting for an ambulance, it was only when I picked her up that I realised.”

“Have you called Marcus?” Serena asked cautiously.

Bernie shook her head, “I’m going to wait until Charlotte wakes up, then I'll ask her if she wants me to call him.  She was always his little princess so I can't imagine him letting this happen to her, I don't…” Bernie shrugged, “I don't know.”

“Okay” Serena gently squeezed Bernie’s knee, “it’s probably best to wait and see if Charlotte wants him here.”

Bernie nodded, “I erm I said I'd keep Cam updated.”

“He's still in our office, do you want me to go and talk to him?”

Bernie nodded, “please, you erm, tell him she’s sleeping but he can come and see her for five minutes if he wants, they were always close.”

“Of course” Serena nodded, “I won't be long, try and eat something whilst I'm gone” she said, pecking Bernie’s temple as she stood before leaving the room.

Cameron walked quickly into the room a few minutes later, Serena close behind, “Mum” he said quietly, his face falling as he caught sight of Charlotte laid lifelessly in the bed, he knew from what his mum had already told him that his sister was seriously ill but he’d not realised just quite how ill she’d look.  He used to tease her about how long she spent in the bathroom, how long it took her to get ready, but now, her hair hung limply by her face, her cheeks were hollow and the bags under her eyes were almost black.  She’d always been small, another thing he’d playfully teased her about, but it was obvious, just from looking at her face that she’d lost weight, too much weight.

“She’ll be okay” Bernie said softly, placing her hand between her son’s shoulder blades, “she’s stable, she’s comfortable and she’s starting to warm up, she’ll be okay.”

Cameron nodded, “can I…?” he reached out to touch his sister’s cheek.

“Of course” Bernie nodded, watching as Cameron took a step forward and gently placed his fingers on Charlotte’s cheek.

“Oh Charlie” he whispered, “what happened?” he bowed his head so his forehead was against his sister’s, “why didn’t you call me?”

Bernie began to rub Cameron’s back in a vain attempt to comfort him, and, feeling like she was intruding on a private family moment, Serena took a step towards the door, only to be stopped when she felt Bernie’s fingers wrap around her wrist, “stay?” Bernie whispered, “please, if you can?”

Serena nodded, loosening Bernie’s grip on her wrist so she could link their fingers together and gently squeeze Bernie’s hand, “of course, Raf knows where I am if he needs me.”

“Mumma” Cam took a step backwards when Charlotte began to stir, her voice faint and groggy.

“I’m here Darling” Bernie said softly, “and Cam’s here too, you go back to sleep Love, get some rest.”

“Cam?”

Cameron gently kissed Charlotte’s forehead, “yeah, I’m here.”

The corners of Charlotte’s mouth curled into a smile underneath her oxygen mask, “Cam” she murmured.

Cameron gently ran his fingers through Charlotte’s tangled hair, “I’m here Char, but I think you need to listen to mum for once and get some more sleep.”

Charlotte nodded, having never really woken properly, “‘k” she mumbled as she drifted back off to sleep.

“Do you need anything?” Cam asked once Charlotte was asleep again.

Bernie nodded, “can you go shopping?” she asked, “get some things for Charlotte, “pyjamas, toiletries, anything you think she might need.”

“Of course” Cam nodded, “I’ll get changed and go now.”

“You can take my car” Bernie told him, “the keys are in my bag, take my card too to pay for everything, the pin number for my bank card is your birthday, my credit card’s Charlotte’s birthday, use either.”

Cameron nodded, “okay, I’ll be as quick as I can” he said, kissing Charlotte’s forehead again before heading for the door, stopping when he heard his mother call his name.

“Don’t drive like an idiot to get back here quickly” she told him, “stick to the speed limit please.”

Cam nodded again, “of course.”

Serena waited until Cameron had left the room before looking at Bernie and raising an eyebrow, “you.  Telling him to stick to the speed limit?”

“He’s my son, he’s been taught to do as I say, not as I do… and anyway, I think having one child in hospital is more than enough.”

“Of course” Serena squeezed Bernie’s hand, “I shouldn’t have…”

“No, it’s fine” Bernie sat back in the chair by the bed, gesturing for Serena to sit beside her, “you were joking I know.”

“It was in poor taste.”

“It’s fine Serena” Bernie looked up at her before kissing her cheek, “honestly.”


	4. Chapter 4

Bernie was on her own with Charlotte when Cameron came back, Fletch had reluctantly asked Serena to look at a patient whilst Raf was in theatre, a patient Serena had ended up taking into theatre too, sending Fletch back to Bernie to give her apologies.

“I hope I got everything” he said as he put the bags down, “I got her a couple of pairs of pyjamas, some slippers and a dressing gown.  I got some funny looks when I was buying her underwear” he blushed, “some things so she can have a shower or whatever when she feels up to it, and I got her a couple of books and some magazines and things to keep her occupied when she’s feeling better.”

Bernie smiled, “thanks Cam.”

“It’s okay Mum, are you going to stay here tonight?”

Bernie nodded, “yeah, why?

“I thought maybe I could stay with her now, if you want to go and get a change of clothes for the morning and whatever you’ll need to have a shower in the on call room?”

“I told her I wouldn’t leave” Bernie said softly, her eyes fixed on Charlotte.

“She might not wake” Cam told her, “and if she does I’ll be here, I’ll tell her you won’t be long.”

Bernie sighed, her eyes still looking at her daughter, “okay” she finally nodded, “I can probably be there and back in an hour.”

Cameron nodded and passed over Bernie’s keys and debit card, “I left your purse in your bag” he told her, “and don’t drive like an idiot to get back here quickly, stick to the speed limit please.”

Bernie rolled her eyes and swatted at Cameron’s arm, “don’t be cheeky.  Serena’s had to go into theatre, if she comes back before I do…”

“I’ll let her know where you are” Cam promised.

“Thank you.” Bernie stood up and stepped closer to the bed, brushing Charlotte’s hair back from her face and kissing her forehead, “I’m going to go home and get a few things so I can stay with you tonight” she said softly, even though she knew her daughter probably wouldn’t hear her, “Cam’s going to stay with you though, and I’ll be back as soon as I can, hopefully before you wake.”

Cam smiled softly and gently put his hand between his mother’s shoulder blades, mirroring her actions from earlier, “try not to worry about her, she’ll be fine, and if she wakes or anything I’ll call you straight away.”

Bernie nodded and kissed Charlotte’s forehead again before kissing Cameron’s cheek.  “Thank you, is there anything you want while I’m out?”

Cameron shook his head, “no thanks, you just get what you need, I’ll be just fine here telling my little sister all about how I managed to spot a diagnosis that Mummy dearest missed” he said smugly as he settled himself in the chair Bernie had just vacated.

Bernie rolled her eyes, “she better stay asleep til I’m back” she mumbled, “I won’t be long” she said, spending another moment looking at her daughter before finally leaving the room.

“Ah, Mr Dunn” Serena frowned as she walked into Charlotte’s room about half an hour after Bernie had left, to find him sat by the bed, arms folded on the mattress as he spoke quietly to his sleeping sister, “have you…”

“Mum wants to spend the night here, I sent her home to get some clean clothes for in the morning, I’ll come in before my shift to sit with Charlie for an hour so she can go for a shower in the on call room or something.  She said she’d be about an hour and she’s already been gone about 35 minutes.”

Serena nodded, “right, okay, I’m going to change out of my scrubs” she told him, “but your mum and I were meant to be going out tonight because Jason’s staying with a friend. She mentioned a Thai restaurant she liked in town, I don’t suppose you know it do you?”

“There’s a Thai place she always used to order from when she was home, I don’t know if it’s the same place though.”

“They deliver?” Cameron nodded and Serena smiled, “do you know what your mum likes?” he nodded again, “excellent” she held out her phone,“I don’t suppose you could find out if they have a menu online for me whilst I get changed?”

Cameron nodded for a third time, “sure.”

“Thank you, and if you want to stay to eat with us, I wouldn’t mind and I’m sure your mum wouldn’t either.”

“Serena” Bernie smiled when she came back, dumping her holdall on the floor by the door and slipping off her coat, frowning slightly when she noticed a third chair had been brought into the room, a chair she recognised from their office, “hasn’t your shift finished?”

“It has” Serena confirmed as Cameron moved into the empty chair, allowing his mother to sit in the more comfortable chair right by Charlotte’s bed, “but we had plans for tonight and woe betide anyone who thinks I’m going to waste an evening where I don’t have to worry about Jason being home alone.”

“Serena I, I’m sorry, I can’t…”

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to leave Charlotte.”

“I don’t understand” Cameron tried to hide his smile at the confusion on his mother’s face.

“Your son introduced me to the delights of the ‘just eat’ app on my phone, if we can’t get the Major to the Thai food, we get the Thai food to the Major.”

Bernie still looked puzzled, “we’ve ordered a takeaway Mum” Cameron finally ended Bernie’s confusion.

“Cam told me what you liked, I know you didn’t eat that sandwich earlier, you must be starving.”

Bernie smiled softly as she sat down, “thank you.”

“We ordered an extra chicken pad thai, so if Charlotte does wake she can have something if she’s hungry, and we got some plain rice too incase she only wants something simple.” Cam smiled.

“You shouldn’t have.”

“Nonsense” Serena interrupted, “I’d hate for Charlotte to wake to find us all tucking into a takeaway and having nothing to at least offer her.”

“I’ll give you the money…”

“Don’t be silly, if she eats it all, that’s brilliant, if she eats a little, great.  If she doesn’t eat any of it, well then I’m sure someone will be able to warm it up for their lunch tomorrow.”

Bernie smiled and nodded, “thank you.”

The three of them chatted happily for a few minutes before there was a gentle tap on the door and Morven poked her head into the room, “Ms Campbell, your food’s here.”

“Thank you Morven” Serena stood from her chair, purse in hand, smiling at Bernie and Cameron as she left the room, “I won’t be a minute.”

“She didn’t wake” Cameron told Bernie softly as he watched his mother stroke his sister’s cheek, “she stirred a little bit like she was going to but then she settled back down again.”

“Thank you” Bernie smiled, “for staying with her.”

“It wasn’t a problem, how long do you think it will take you to shower and things in the morning?”

“About 20 minutes” Bernie frowned, “why?”

“I’m on shift at 8, I’ll come in at 7 and sit with Charlie for an hour if you like, so you can shower and have a quick nap if you want?”

Bernie smiled and nodded, “that would be lovely, thank you.”

Mother and son sat in comfortable silence as they waited for Serena to return, the only sounds filling the room being the rhythmatic beeping of the monitors attached to Charlotte and the quiet wheeze of her chest with each breath she took, “sorry, I ordered food for Morven and Jasmine too, they’re on the night shift.  I went to put it in the staff room for them” Serena said as she came back into the room, thanking Cameron as he stood to take the glasses from her hand, “I’m afraid they didn’t have Shiraz on the menu, but Cameron said you didn’t mind sprite.”

Bernie smiled, happy that Cameron and Serena got on so well, “that’s fine, thank you.”

Serena smiled, thanking Cameron again as he pulled out the table from over Charlotte’s bed as Serena started dishing out the food, leaving Charlotte’s meal and several side dishes in the middle of the table, “tuck in” she smiled, “and help yourself to anything else” she said as she settled down to eat her own food.


	5. Chapter 5

Bernie had almost finished eating when she saw Charlotte stir, hoping that one day Charlotte would be as comfortable with her and Serena as Cameron was, “Mumma” she mumbled as her eyes fluttered open.

“I’m here Darling” Bernie reached out to stroke Charlotte’s cheek, “are you okay?”

Charlotte shifted wearily, “can I… water?”

Bernie nodded, “of course, I just need to sit you up a little bit more” she said as she began to raise the head of the bed, “is that okay?”

Charlotte nodded and Bernie thanked Cam as he poured out a glass of water for his sister, “I’ll go and get her a nasal cannula, see if she’s okay without the mask for a bit” Serena said, excusing herself from the room as Bernie helped Charlotte drink the water.

“We’ve got Thai food if you’re hungry” Bernie told Charlotte as she sipped at the water, “there’s a Pad Thai with your name on it if you fancy it? Or some rice if you want something plainer.”

“Ch, chicken pad Thai?” Charlotte asked between coughs, Bernie holding the oxygen mask back to Charlotte’s face as her sats dropped slightly.

“What else?” Bernie smiled as she stroked Charlotte’s hair, encouraging her to take some big deep breaths, “Serena ordered plenty.”

“Se, Serena?”

Bernie’s fingers faltered slightly, “there erm, there’s something you should know about Serena, earlier, I erm, well she is a colleague and a very good friend but she, she’s erm…”

Cameron knew his mother was struggling and hoped he wouldn’t cross a line when he said, “she’s Mum’s girlfriend Char.”

“Oh” Bernie nodded in thanks to her son before looking back at her daughter.

“Are you okay with that? I can ask someone else to take over your care if you’d rather and…”

“Are you h...happy?” Charlotte interrupted as she looked up at her mother.

Bernie didn’t need to think of her answer before she nodded, “I am, yes.”

“Then I..” Charlotte’s breath caught in her throat as she struggled to fill her lungs, “it’s okay.” 

Bernie was surprised to feel the prickle of tears forming in her eyes and wrapped her arms around Charlotte, “thank you” she whispered as she hugged her tightly, “that means so much to me.”

“Is everything okay?” Serena asked as she walked back into the room a few minutes later, Charlotte still in Bernie’s firm embrace.

“I told Charlotte, well, Cam told her” Bernie said as she stood up, “that you’re more than a very good friend of mine.”

“Oh” Serena wasn’t sure how Charlotte was going to react, “I can get another doctor if…”

Charlotte shook her head, “Mum say...says you, you’re...best” she whispered, each breath, each word a struggle but determined to say her piece “and you...you make her happy. I, I won’t deny her that” Charlotte flopped back against the pillows exhaustedly as she tried to catch her breath.

Serena smiled, “thank you” she gestured to the plastic tubing in her hands, “now, why don’t we get this set up and then you can see about trying some of this food.”

Serena couldn’t help but smile as she watched Bernie, her ‘big macho army medic’ sat on the edge of the hospital bed, carefully feeding forkfuls of food to Charlotte, Charlotte’s eyes never once leaving her mother, Bernie occasionally smiling at her youngest child, wiping sauce from the corner of her mouth, rolling her eyes at her eldest whenever he told a bad joke, scolding him when he playfully teased his sister, Bernie was a much better mother than she believed she was.  It was Serena’s one regret, that she and Bernie met too late in life to start a family of their own, grandchildren, she supposed would be the closest she’d get to watching Bernie cradle a newborn, to see her big strong arms rocking a tiny baby to sleep, little hands curling around Bernie’s slender, talented fingers.  She knew she was lucky to get a glimpse of  Mumma Wolfe caring for her cubs, and for that, she could only love Bernie more.

Charlotte managed almost half the meal before telling Bernie she’d had enough and asked her mother for more water before letting her head fall back into the pillows Bernie had carefully arranged, “close your eyes if you want to” Bernie said softly, once again stroking Charlotte’s cheek, “no one will mind if you go back to sleep.”

Charlotte nodded and shifted slightly to get comfortable, “I’m going to say goodnight” Cam kissed his sister’s cheek, “I’ll probably be gone by the time you wake up again, but I’ll come in and see you before my shift in the morning.”

Charlotte nodded again, “night Cam” she mumbled, already on her way back to sleep.

“I’ll say goodbye too” Serena smiled softly, “I’ll come in and see how you’re doing in the morning.”

“K” Charlotte yawned, “thank you.”

Bernie, Serena and Cam sat in silence as Charlotte drifted off, Bernie only standing from the bed once she was sure her daughter was fast asleep, “thank you for all this” she said to Serena who’d begun clearing up the takeaway containers, “I really do appreciate it.”

“I know you do” Serena smiled softly, “you don’t have to thank me, you’d do the same if it was Elinor.”

Cam stood from his chair, “I’m going to nip down to the shop, get a few bits for Charlotte to snack on if she wakes in the night” he said, wanting to give the two women some time alone together, Charlotte could sleep through an earthquake so she wouldn’t disturb them, “and then I’d better make a move so I don’t miss the last bus.”

“Thanks” Bernie smiled, “take some money out of my purse.”

“Here” Serena took a twenty pound note out of her own purse and handed it to Cameron, holding her hand up before Bernie had time to protest, “it’s fine, don’t worry about it” she said before turning to Cameron, “and don’t you worry about the bus, it’s getting late, I’ll drop you home.”

“Thanks” Cam nodded, putting the money in his pocket, “I won’t be long.”

Bernie waited until the door closed behind her son, before pulling Serena into her arms, “you’re amazing, do you know that?”

“Well” Serena smirked, “I have been told once or twice.”

Bernie kissed her lips, “thank you, for today.”

Serena smiled and ran her fingers through Bernie’s tousled blonde hair, “you don’t need to thank me my love. Now, will you be okay sleeping in here, I’m sure I can convince paeds to led us one of their fold up beds if you want?”

“I’ll be fine, I slept in worse places when I was in the army.”

“Yes but that was before you had surgery for a broken back.”

“I’ll be okay” Bernie tried to reassure her.

“If Charlotte’s stable tonight and she’s okay tomorrow would you consider sleeping in the on call room tomorrow night?” Serena asked, knowing she wouldn’t get Bernie to leave the hospital.

“Yeah, if she’s okay...her sats have dropped though.”

“You know that’s because she’s not getting as much oxygen as she was through the mask, it’s not low enough to set the monitor off and I’m not too concerned but I’ll have a word with Morven on my way out, ask her to keep an eye on her, if it drops any more then we can just swap her back to the oxygen mask.”

Bernie nodded, “I’m being one of ‘those’ relatives aren’t I?”

“Not at all, you’re being a concerned mother and an observant doctor and I wouldn’t have you any other way” Serena stole another kiss, “as I said, I’ll get Morven to keep an eye on her, and I know you can’t treat her, but I’m sure that if you have any worries about Charlotte, Morven will trust your judgement.”

Bernie nodded, “thank you.”  The pair stepped apart when there was a gentle tap at the door, Bernie frowning and gesturing for Cam to come in, “you don’t have to knock Cam.”

“I didn’t want to disturb you” he said, handing the change back to Serena as he placed a bag of food on the table over the bed, “It’s mainly crisps and biscuits” he told his mum, “but I thought she’d be able to snack on those until she gets her appetite back.”

“Thank you” Bernie smiled, “I’m sure she could probably do with the extra calories anyway.”

Serena smiled, “it’s getting late, we’d better be off, do you need anything before we go?” she asked Bernie?”

Bernie shook her head, “I’m okay thanks.”

“Right, well, I’ll just have a quick word with Morven and then I’ll be ready.” she told Cam.

“I’ll just go and get my bag from the locker room” Cam nodded, leaning over to kiss Bernie’s cheek, “see you in the morning Mum.”

“See you in the morning” Bernie smiled, squeezing her son’s arm before he left the room so Serena could say her goodbyes too.

“Call me if you need anything” Serena told Bernie softly, “even if it’s the middle of the night.”

Bernie nodded, “okay” she said, even though she knew she wouldn’t, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You will” Serena kissed her softly, “goodnight.”

Bernie smiled and stroked Serena’s cheek with her thumb, “goodnight.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, lots of MummaWolfe and Charlotte finally admitting what happened between her and Marcus. Enjoy :)

Bernie settled herself down by the bed once Cameron and Serena had left, she remembered spending hours watching her daughter sleep as a newborn and found she could happily do the same now.  She traced her fingers over Charlotte’s cheekbones, almost in awe of the girl in the bed, she still had no idea how she’d managed to make two people so beautiful, so perfect and, as the stresses of the day caught up with her, it didn’t take her long to fall into a light slumber, her head on the pillow by Charlotte’s, her hand still on her daughter’s cheek.

She stirred slightly a while later when she heard the door creak open, “sorry” Morven said when she saw Bernie sit up, “I didn’t want to disturb you but I need to do Charlotte’s obs.”

Bernie nodded, “it’s okay” she said, stretching her back as she glanced at her watch, she’d been asleep for almost 2 hours.

“Her temperature’s rising nicely” Morven smiled, “her fluid output’s good and everything else seems stable” she explained as she dropped the notes back in the holder at the bottom of the bed, “can I get you anything, a pillow and a blanket perhaps? Or a cup of tea?”

“A pillow would be great thank you” she thanked the young doctor as she left the room, thanking her again when she returned a few minutes later with a pillow and a blanket in case Bernie got cold later.  Bernie used the pillow to support the small of her back before laying her head back on the bed and once again falling into an easy sleep.

The next time she woke it was to Charlotte stirring in the bed beside her and she opened her eyes to smile sleepily at her daughter whose eyes had just fluttered open, “you stayed” Charlotte whispered.

“Of course I did” Bernie said softly, once again stroking Charlotte’s cheek, an action that had settled her so many times as an infant, and apparently still had the same effect now, “I’m not going to leave you Charlotte, not again.”

“You saved me” Charlotte fought to get one hand from under the heated blankets that were slowly warming her frozen body, placing her fingers on top of her mother’s, “I thought I was going to die” she admitted slowly, tears filling her eyes.

“Hey” Bernie linked her fingers with Charlotte’s, using her free hand to wipe her daughter’s tears, “you’re okay, you’re safe now.”

“I’m sorry” Charlotte whispered, her hoarse voice causing Bernie to reach for the water and help her daughter take a few sips, “I’m sorry” Charlotte repeated, “I was so awful to you, about you when you left Dad.”

“It’s okay” Bernie told her, “you were hurt and upset, but I want you to know that you’re my baby girl Charlotte, no matter what you say or do, no matter how angry you are with me, no matter what happens I will always love you okay, I will always be here if you need me.”

“You might not” Charlotte whispered as she closed her eyes, “when you find out.  Dad doesn’t love me any more” she choked out, beginning to gasp for breath as she became more upset, her whole body shaking as she began to cough again.

Bernie kissed Charlotte’s head, encouraging her to take some deep breaths, trying to get her to calm down, she spent the next fifteen minutes stroking Charlotte’s cheek, talking softly to her and reassuring her over and over that she wasn’t going to leave her. She waited until her daughter was calm before telling her, “you don’t have to tell me what happened, I’d like you to, but if you’re scared, I won’t pressure you.”

“Dad kicked me out” Charlotte whispered, knowing she’d end up telling her mother sooner or later and wanting to get the rejection out of the way before she got used to having her mother around again, “he, he caught me on the sofa with my partner, well, by now they’re probably my ex” she explained, her speech interrupted by wheezes and coughs.

Bernie frowned, that was no reason for Marcus to kick out his little princess, “what makes you think that will make me angry?” Bernie asked, “you’re an adult now, as long as it’s consensual and preferably safe, then you can have sex if you want to, granted it’d be better to be somewhere more private than the living room but…”

“We weren’t having sex” Charlotte corrected her, “just kissing but erm, I don’t think it was what I was doing, more who I was doing it with.”  Charlotte opened her eyes, quickly closing them again when she saw Bernie looking at her expectantly, “They erm, her name was Emma” she said so quietly Bernie almost didn’t hear her.

“Charlotte” Bernie said softly, “Charlotte, look at me” Bernie stroked her cheek gently, waiting until Charlotte found the courage to look at her, “does being with Emma make you happy?” she asked her daughter the same question she’d been asked earlier.  Charlotte nodded silently and Bernie smiled and kissed her forehead, “then that’s all that matters to me.”

“But I was so awful to you when I found out about…”

“It’s in the past” Bernie squeezed Charlotte’s hand, “if you want Emma to come and visit you…”

“I haven’t spoken to her since” Charlotte whispered, “she probably thinks I hate her.”

Bernie smiled sadly, “you can call her or text her in the morning, try and explain things, if she’s worth it then she’ll understand.”

“I can’t remember her number, Dad kept my phone” Charlotte admitted.

“Is that why you didn’t ask Cam or I for help?”

Charlotte nodded, “and I was scared, that you’d both hate me too.”

“No matter what happens, you can always come to me if you need me okay? I’ll get you a new phone, and you can always come here to find me or Serena okay, you’re not on your own any more Char.”

“I’m sorry Mumma”

“Don’t apologise” Bernie began to stroke Charlotte’s cheek again, “close your eyes and get some sleep Darling, I’m not going anywhere.” Charlotte nodded but didn’t close her eyes, “are you okay?” Bernie asked, once again stroking Charlotte’s cheek.

“Can...will…” she gently shook her head, “it doesn’t matter.”

“Char” Bernie said softly, “talk to me. Please?”

“Will you lie with me? Like you used to?”

Bernie smiled softly and nodded, lifting one of the sides of the bed and carefully moving Charlotte over, making sure she was still covered by the heated blankets that were helping to bring her temperature back up to 'average', before slipping off her shoes and laying beside her daughter, “I’ll ask one of the nurses about getting you a bed bath and getting your hair washed once your temperature’s back up to normal” Bernie said, running her fingers through Charlotte’s hair as her daughter cuddled into her, laying against her mother the way she had so many times as a child.

“Can you do it?” Charlotte asked as she began to relax in Bernie’s arms, already beginning to fall asleep again.

“Yeah” Bernie continued playing with Charlotte’s hair, hoping to settle her, “of course I can, if that’s what you want.”

Charlotte nodded against Bernie’s shoulder, “yeah.”

“Get some sleep Love, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Mumma” Charlotte mumbled sleepily.

“Yeah?”

“Love you.”

Bernie smiled softly and kissed Charlotte again, “I love you too, so much more than you’ll ever know.”

Serena  frowned as she saw Cam stood outside the side bay the next morning a little after seven am, “is everything okay?” she asked him, wondering why he hadn’t gone in.

Cameron nodded, “yeah, I erm, I said I’d sit with Charlotte so Mum could shower but I don’t really want to disturb them” he said, stepping back slightly so Serena could see Bernie and Charlotte curled together, fast asleep in the single bed.

Serena smiled softly at the sight, but knew Bernie would want to get showered and changed, “your mum’s a light sleeper” she told Cam, “she’ll probably wake as you open the door.”

Cam nodded and took a step forward, slowly opening the door, and, just as Serena predicted, Bernie opened her eyes and turned her head to the door, smiling when she saw her son, “I didn’t want to wake you but…”

“It’s okay, I woke a while ago, I was just dozing” Bernie told him as she slowly extracted herself from her daughter’s embrace.

“How is she?” Cameron asked, glancing towards the monitors.

“Physically she’s okay, still wheezing and coughing but her temperature’s almost back to normal.”

“And emotionally?” Cam asked, noticing his Mum had deliberately only mentioned Charlotte’s physical well being.

“She’s had a rough time, she’s going to need us to love her and support her.”

“Did she tell you what happened?”

Bernie nodded as she picked up her bag, “she did, but it’s not for me to tell you” she said, before warning her son, “don’t make her feel like she has to tell you either.”

“I won’t” Cam promised, “you go and get changed, I’ll stay with Char til you get back.”

“I promised her I wouldn’t leave her” Bernie said as she glanced to the bed, “if she wakes will you tell her I didn’t want to wake her but I’ll be as quick as I can?”

“Of course I will” Cam nodded, blushing slightly as Bernie thanked him and kissed him on the cheek before heading to the on call room to shower and change.


	7. Chapter 7

Charlotte frowned when she woke a while later to find her brother sat beside her, “Cam” she mumbled, “where’s Mum?” she asked, sounding slightly panicked as she tried to look around the room.

“Good morning to you too sister dearest” Cam teased before seeing how worried Charlotte was, “she’s gone for a shower, I said I’d sit with you before my shift started so she could shower and get changed, she didn’t want to leave you, she was sleeping in the bed with you when I came in.”

“She, she’s coming back?”

Cam nodded, “all her things are still here” he gestured to Bernie’s coat and bag, “she’s coming back Char, she...she’s not like she was before.”

“What do you mean?”

Cameron tucked Charlotte’s hair back from her face as he thought about what he wanted to say, “it’s like I never realised how unhappy she was with Dad until I saw how happy she is with Serena, I’ve seen her laugh and smile so much these past few weeks, she’s even given up smoking again, but it was her choice this time, not like all those times Dad tried to guilt trip her into giving up.  She makes time for us to have lunch together once a week to catch up, she’s not cancelled on me once.  If she says she’s not going to leave you then you should believe her Char.”

“I told her what happened” Charlotte admitted, “why Dad kicked me out.”

“Yeah” he nodded, “she said you’d told her.”

Charlotte’s breath caught in her throat, “did, did she tell you.”

“No, no” Cameron said quickly, not wanting to worry his sister, “and you don’t need to, not if you don’t want to.”

“Dad came home early from work one day” Charlotte closed her eyes, “he caught me kissing my girlfriend.  He said he’d already had one dyke try and ruin his life and he wasn’t going to give another one the chance.”

“Oh Charlotte” he gently squeezed her hand before kissing her knuckles, “I wish you’d have called me, promise me you’ll call me if anything like this ever happens again, if you ever feel like you’ve got nowhere to go, like you’ve got nothing, promise me you’ll call me, you’d probably have to share my bed but you’re my baby sister Char, I’ll always do what I can to help you, you’ll always have me.”

“Thank you” she whispered, “Mum said the same.”

“You’re not on your own Charlotte, it’s Dad’s loss, not yours.”  Charlotte nodded, “is your girlfriend coming in to see you?”

She shook her head, “she doesn’t know, I can’t remember her number and Dad kept my phone.”

“Is she on facebook?” Cam asked and Charlotte nodded, “here” he pulled his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it and opened facebook, “send her a message, let her know what’s happened, I’m sure she’ll understand, and if she doesn’t, well then she’s not good enough for you.”

“Thank you” Charlotte said as she took the phone, typing out a few words with shaking fingers before deleting them again, “I don’t know what to say” she admitted.

“Can I?” Cam held his hand out, Charlotte nodding as she passed the phone back, “can I tell her what happened with Dad?”  Charlotte nodded again and Cam began to type, showing Charlotte the message once he’d done, “is that okay?”

Charlotte’s hands shook as she took the phone back from Cameron, reading the message he’d written,  _ ‘Hi Emma, I’m Charlotte’s brother, she’s asked me to get in touch with you on her behalf.  I know it’s been a while since the two of you spoke but my father kicked her out after he walked in on the two of you and he kept her phone so she’s not been able to contact you.  To cut a long story short, our Mum found Charlotte sleeping rough yesterday, she’s quite ill with pneumonia at the moment but she’ll make a full recovery.  If you’d like to see her, she’s on AAU at Holby City Hospital, she’ll be here for a few more days before she’s discharged.  I’m going to work soon but I’ll leave my phone with Charlotte so you can speak to her if you want to, I know she’d love to hear from you’   _ He’d added his phone number to the message and Charlotte quickly pressed send before she had chance to change her mind, “are you really going to leave your phone with me?”

“Yeah, if she calls and I’m with a patient I won’t be able to answer, and I’ve got angry birds and candy crush for if you get bored of Mum” he chuckled before holding his hand out for his phone, “let me take the screen lock off for you.”

“Thanks” Charlotte smiled, gesturing for him to put the phone on the table over the bed once he’d done.

“Are you okay?” Cam asked softly, glancing at the machines still monitoring her sister.

“Tired” she sighed before beginning to cough.

“Here, sit up a bit” Cameron wrapped his arm around his sister, helping her to sit up, hoping it would help her.  “Okay, give me a second” he sat the bed up, settling his sister amongst the pillows as she continued to cough, her sats dropping as she struggled for breath.  He fiddled with the oxygen for a moment, putting the oxygen mask back on for her before opening the door to the room, glancing around the ward before spotting Serena and calling her over.

“Cam” Charlotte choked out between coughs, “Cam.”

“You’re okay” he tried to reassure her as he rubbed circles on her back, “try and take some deep breaths, I know it’s scary but panicking will only make it worse, Serena’s coming okay and Mum will be back soon.”

Serena raced into the room, “Okay Charlotte” she said softly, “Cam’s right, nice deep breaths” she said as she pulled her stethoscope from her neck.  She smiled as she heard Charlotte trying to do as she asked, “that’s it” she praised her, “you keep focusing on your breathing.”  She looked up at Cam once she was certain nothing was seriously wrong, “why don’t you go and get your Mum from the on call room” she asked him, “I’ll stay with Charlotte.”

He nodded but didn’t get to leave the room before Bernie returned, a look of worry on her face, she’d heard Charlotte’s cough from the other end of the ward, “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just a coughing fit” Serena reassured her, “I’m going to get her a nebuliser, see if that helps to loosen anything she needs to cough up.”

Bernie nodded and thanked Serena as she dropped her bag, quickly sitting on the bed beside Charlotte, “you’re okay Darling, you’re okay.”

“Mumma” Charlotte gasped, reaching out to her mother, her coughs had died down slightly but she was still fighting for breath, “Mumma.”

“I’m here” Bernie took Charlotte’s hands, “I’m here, you’re okay, try and take some nice deep breaths Darling, you’re okay” she tried to reassure her daughter, slowing her own breathing for Charlotte to match, smiling at Cam as he did the same, gently rubbing circles on Charlotte’s back to help calm her down.

By the time Serena returned Charlotte seemed to be breathing slightly easier and she felt her heart swell as she saw the three of them, no matter what Bernie said or how she felt, there was definitely a strong bond between mother and her children.  “That should help you a little bit” she told Charlotte once she’d set up the nebuliser, Charlotte nodding wearily as she sank back into the pillows, “get some rest, it’ll help your body recover” she said, Charlotte nodding again as her eyes fluttered shut.  “Are you okay?” she asked both Cameron and Bernie, squeezing Bernie’s shoulder and saying nothing about the fact Cameron’s shift had already started.

“Yeah” Cam nodded before glancing at the clock on the wall and grabbing his bag, “shit, sorry, I’ll go and get changed and…”

“Don’t worry about it” Serena smiled as Bernie reached up to take hold of her hand, “if you don’t feel up to it then I can…”

“No, no” he interrupted her, “Charlotte’s fine and Mum’s going to be with her, I’ll be okay” he promised, leaning over the bed to kiss Charlotte’s forehead, “I’ll come in and see her on my break” he told Bernie, nodding as his mother told him to have a good day before he left the room.

“What about you?” Serena asked Bernie once Cameron had left, “are you okay.”

Bernie nodded, “I just feel so helpless, I know you’re doing everything you can and it’s just down to her body to do the rest but she’s my baby Serena, I’d do anything to be the one laying in that bed instead of her.”

“I know” Serena ran her fingers through Bernie’s damp hair, “but she’s strong like her Mum, she’s made an awful lot of progress in the last 24 hours and you know that, she’s doing well.”

“I know she is” Bernie nodded, her fingers still laced with Serena’s, “I came home from a tour once, she was about 4 and she got chicken pox whilst I was home, Cam had already had them.  I spent most of my R&R laying on the sofa or on the bed with her just laying on top of me because she wanted to be held, she kept telling me kisses made her better.”

Serena smiled, “it seems like she’s still reassured by your presence even now, you stroking her cheek calmed her down immensely when you first brought her in.”

Bernie smiled, “it used to settle her when she was tiny, for a while it used to be the only way to get her to sleep.  You could always tell when she was tired because she’d start stroking her own cheek like she was trying to settle herself.”

“Bless her” Serena chuckled, “Elinor always used to tug on her left ear when she was tired.”

“They grow up too fast” Bernie reached out to stroke Charlotte’s cheek again.

“They do” Serena nodded, gently squeezing Bernie’s shoulder before asking, “is there anything you need?”

Bernie shook her head, “actually, could you do me a favour after your shift?”

“Anything.”

“I erm, I was talking to Charlotte last night about getting her a bed bath, she asked if I’d do it, but erm, I noticed that it’s really warm in the on call room, so I thought, if she feels up to it, later we could put a chair in the shower in there and I could help her have a proper shower.  The on call room’s so warm that she wouldn’t get cold quickly afterwards.”

“Okay” Serena nodded, “what do you need?”

“Can you go back to the flat for me? Get me some towels, my dressing gown and hair dryer?”

“Of course I can, I’ll pop out at lunch, Raf will be able to hold the fort for an hour.”

“Thank you.”

Serena smiled and gently rubbed Bernie’s back, “I’m going to go down to pulses, get you something for breakfast” she gently placed her finger on Bernie’s lips to stop her protesting, “and then I probably should get back to work but you can come and find me if you, or Charlotte need anything."


	8. Chapter 8

Charlotte spent most of the morning sleeping, waking occasionally and smiling sleepily up at Bernie who, as promised, hadn’t left her beside. She woke a little before 12 to another coughing fit and, once she was settled, asked Bernie to lay with her again, “Cam messaged Emma” she told her mother once she was cuddled into her.

“That’s good” Bernie smiled as she played with Charlotte’s tangled hair

“He left his phone” Charlotte told her, “in case she replies.”

“That was nice of him.”

Charlotte nodded and yawned, “he’s not always a pain.”

She dozed off again in her mother’s arms not long after that, Bernie content to simply lie with her daughter.  Bernie turned her head slightly when she heard the door click open, “hi” she smiled when she saw Serena, a bag with the requested items in her hands.

“Hi, everything okay in here?”

Bernie nodded and gently stroked Charlotte’s cheek, “she’s still wheezing and she had a coughing fit not long ago but she just wants to sleep.”

Serena put the bag down and walked over to the bed, gently stroking Bernie’s arm, “and she wants you too” she said softly, “I’m sure you being here is helping her immensely” she said before bending down to peck Bernie’s lips, “I got everything you asked for, I bought quite a few towels so you can wrap her up well once you’ve done” she picked up Charlotte’s notes and checked her obs, “she’s doing well, her temperature’s risen nicely so, if Charlotte feels up to it, I’ll get someone to take out her catheter and she can have her shower once that IV’s finished running through” she gestured to the almost empty bag, “and we’ll start the next one once she’s back.”

“Thank you” Bernie reached up to take hold of Serena’s hand, “I do appreciate everything you’re doing, for Charlotte and for myself.”

“I know” Serena squeezed Bernie’s hand, “but I’m just doing my job, and I know you’d be doing exactly the same for me if it was Elinor laying in that bed.  I’ve spoken to Henrik and he sends his best wishes to you and Charlotte and said you, and Cameron, can take off as much time as you need but I think Cameron wants to keep busy”

“That’s okay, there’s not really much he can do anyway.”

“Well I’m going to keep an eye on him on the ward for you, make sure he’s coping okay, and now, I’m going to go and get you and Charlotte both a sandwich from the canteen, is there anything Charlotte doesn’t like?”

Bernie shook her head, knowing Serena would get them something to eat even if she said she didn’t want anything, “she’s not fussy, but she does like ham and cheese, or if they’ve got any of those chicken and bacon caesar wraps she’d probably like one of those.”

“Noted” Serena smiled, “I’ll see what I can do” she lifted their linked hands and kissed Bernie’s knuckles, “I won’t be long.”

Charlotte stirred again not long after Serena left, “Mumma.”

“I’m here Darling” Bernie brushed Charlotte’s hair back from her face.

Charlotte smiled slightly and nuzzled closer to Bernie, “Mumma.”

“Serena came in to see you when you were sleeping” Bernie told her softly, “she’s gone to fetch us both a sandwich for lunch and then she said you can go for a shower if you want.”

“You...you’ll help me?”

“Of course I will, we’re going to go to the on call room because it’s really warm in there and we don’t want you getting too cold.”

“Thank you.”

Bernie was humming softly to Charlotte when Serena came back into the room, “hi” she smiled when she saw Charlotte was awake, “how are you feeling?”

“Like shit” Charlotte croaked, “I keep…” she began to cough, Bernie quickly helping her sit up as Serena poured out a fresh glass of water, “I keep falling ‘sleep” she mumbled, “and coughing.”

“Sleeping’s probably the best thing you could be doing right now” Serena told her, raising the head of the bed once Bernie had moved back into the chair, “it gives your body chance to heal, but for now, why don’t you try having something to eat?” she put a selection of food on the table, “and when you’re done, your mum can shout me and we’ll see about getting you off all these monitors for a while so you can have that shower?”

“‘Kay” Charlotte nodded, smiling shyly at Serena, “thanks.”

“It’s okay” Serena squeezed Charlotte’s shoulder and winked at Bernie, “you both know where I am if you need me.”

They sat in silence as they ate, Bernie sorting out the things she’d need to take with her for Charlotte’s shower once she’d finished eating, Charlotte slowly eating one of the two wraps in the packet Serena had bought her, “are you done?” Bernie asked once Charlotte had flopped back into the pillows.  She nodded wearily, “I’m going to ask Serena to come in and get you sorted, drop these off in the on call room and then I’ll get a wheelchair and come right back for you okay?”

“You, you’ll come back?”

Bernie dropped the bag in her hands and took the few steps over to the bed, “I promise you I will come back” she gently placed her hands on Charlotte’s cheeks, “I know I haven’t been the best mother in the past, but Darling, I promise you, I’m not going to leave, not this time, you’re not on your own anymore Char, you’ve got me.  I’m not going anywhere.”

Charlotte nodded, not even realising she was crying until she felt Bernie wipe away her tears with her thumbs, “I love you Mumma.”

Bernie kissed Charlotte’s forehead, “and I love you too Darling, I love you so much more than you will ever, ever know.”  Charlotte clung to Bernie, her tears soaking into her mother’s tshirt but Bernie wasn’t bothered, she held her daughter close, rocking her gently like she had so many times when she was younger, whispering reassurances, telling Charlotte over and over that she was okay, she was safe and that she had a mother who loved her and who wasn’t going to leave her.  “Okay?” Bernie asked softly once Charlotte seemed to have settled.

“Yeah” Charlotte murmured, “sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologise” Bernie kissed her daughter’s forehead, “after 22 years I’m used to it” she smiled, “but I still don’t know how someone like me managed to have a child that’s so cuddly” she chuckled, it had been a long running joke in the family, neither Bernie or Marcus had been the type of parent to sit cuddling their children for hours, and Cameron had been independent almost from the moment he was born but Charlotte was completely the opposite, she’d been clingy, loved cuddles and, as a child seemed to constantly need to be near one parent or the other.  It had been strange for Bernie at first, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get her newborn daughter to sleep in a moses basket or a cot, the only place she’d fall asleep was in her mother’s arms.  Charlotte had been almost four before Marcus and Bernie had managed to get her to sleep in her own bed, and even then, most mornings they’d find her bed empty, Charlotte either sleeping between her parents or curled up with her big brother.  It had taken Bernie a while to get used to showing so much physical affection to another person, even she and Marcus had never ‘cuddled’ but she’d got used to it, for her daughter’s sake, and now, as she felt Charlotte relax in her embrace, she was glad she had.  “You know, I think you’ll get on well with Serena” Bernie told her.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, she’s quite a tactile person too, she likes hugs, and she’ll touch your arm or your hand when she’s talking to you, I can’t watch TV with her without her ending up curled into me with her head on my shoulder or her arms around me” she chuckled.

Charlotte smiled, “she’s nice.”

“She is” Bernie nodded, “can I go and fetch her now? Try and get you showered before you fall asleep again?” Charlotte nodded against Bernie’s stomach, holding onto her mother for a minute more before letting go and settling back against the pillows, “I’ll be as quick as I can” Bernie promised as she grabbed the bag, blowing her daughter a kiss as she left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Serena came into the room just seconds after Bernie had left, “are you feeling any better?” she asked with a smile.

Charlotte managed a tired nod, “yes, thank you.”

“You’ve certainly perked up a lot in the last 24 hours” Serena nodded, “but you’ve got quite a serious case of pneumonia, so don’t be surprised if you have ups and downs, you are going to recover from this but it’s going to take a while for you to be completely over it.”  Charlotte nodded and Serena smiled softly, “let’s get you disconnected from all this then so you can have your shower, or I can get someone else to do it if you’d rather I didn’t…”

Charlotte shrugged weakly before coughing, Serena helping her to drink some water and encouraging her to keep her breaths steady, “I doubt I’ve got anything you’ve not seen before.” she finally managed to say.

Charlotte was sat up in bed when Bernie returned with a wheelchair, Serena sat beside her, Charlotte’s head on Serena’s shoulder as Serena spoke softly to her, “I told you” she smiled when she saw them.

“Told who what?” Serena asked as she looked up at Bernie.

“I told Charlotte the two of you would get along, I’m not sure how it happened, but Charlotte is the cuddliest person I’ve ever met, you come a close second.”

Charlotte smiled wearily as Serena chuckled, “I’ll tell you a secret” she told Charlotte, “never once have I heard your Mum complaining about getting a cuddle, I think she likes it a lot more than she lets on”

Bernie laughed and shook her head, “I’m happy to do whatever it takes to make the people I love happy” she said before looking at Charlotte, “shall we get you showered before you end up falling asleep on Serena?”

Charlotte nodded and Bernie easily lifted her from the bed and into the waiting wheelchair, thanking Serena as she quickly took blankets from the bed and wrapped them around Charlotte’s frail body to stop her getting cold, “you know where I am if you need me” she smiled, “both of you.” Serena kissed Bernie’s cheek and gently squeezed Charlotte’s hand before holding open the door to the room so Bernie could push the wheelchair out.

Once in the on call room Bernie took off her jeans and helped Charlotte undress, leaving on her tshirt as she sat Charlotte in the chair she’d placed in the shower before washing her quickly under the warm water, conscious of her daughter’s temperature, sighing softly as she realised just how much weight her daughter had actually lost. She carefully shampooed her hair before running conditioner through it and gently using a wide tooth comb to work out the knots that had formed in Charlotte’s long hair, “okay?” Bernie asked, wrapping her daughter in an abundance of towels once she’d rinsed the conditioner out.

Charlotte nodded before leaning forwards in the chair as she began to cough, Bernie taking the opportunity to wrap her own, toweling dressing gown around her daughter’s shoulders, “tired.”

Bernie nodded too, “let’s get you dressed in some pyjamas then, they’ll probably be more comfortable for you than the gown.”

“Pyjamas?”

Bernie nodded, “Cam went out not long after you were admitted, got you some things for while you’re in here, once you’re feeling a bit better I’ll bring my laptop in and we can get you some new clothes too so you don’t just have to wear pyjamas.”

Charlotte nodded as Bernie laid her on the bed, “thank you.”

A silence fell over the room as Bernie carefully dried Charlotte and helped her into new pyjamas, fluffy bed socks and the thick, fleecy, dressing gown that Cameron had chosen for his sister.  Once she was sure her daughter was warm and dry, she covered her with the blankets and began to dry her hair, carefully rubbing it with the towel before using her hair dryer to make sure it was completely dry.  Only then did she head back into the bathroom to dry herself and change from her wet clothes. She left Charlotte laid on the bed as she packed everything back in the bag before she lifted her daughter, still bundled up in blankets, back into the wheelchair to take her back to her room.

Serena followed them back into the room once they were back on the ward, “are you okay?” she asked them both as she watched Bernie lift Charlotte back into the bed with ease, marvelling at the strength of her partner.

“Cold” Charlotte mumbled, beginning to shiver slightly as Serena helped Bernie tuck the blankets back around her.

“You’re shivering though” Serena told her as she expertly inserted a new IV line into the back of Charlotte’s hand, “that’s a good sign, it means your body’s getting stronger, it’s strong enough to do what it needs to do to warm you up again, the fact you weren’t shivering when you first came in was a worry to us all.”

“Sorry” Charlotte mumbled as she sank back into the pillows, being out of bed for even a short amount of time taking more energy than she thought she had.

“You don’t need to apologise” Serena brushed Charlotte’s hair back so she could put the thermometer in her ear, “36.4” she told Bernie, knowing she’d be worried, “it’s nothing to worry about” she told Charlotte, “I’ll come and check on you again soon but I’m sure being tucked up in bed will be enough to warm you back up again” she finished connecting Charlotte back up to the monitors and oxygen, “and, I happen to know, cuddling with your mum’s always like having your own hot water bottle” she winked, straightening the sheets around Charlotte when she smiled sleepily, her eyes already closed, “go on” she put her hand on Bernie’s arm, “you look like you could do with getting some rest too now you know Charlotte’s okay.”

Bernie nodded and gently kissed Serena, “thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for” Serena insisted, “I’ll be in to see you both again soon” she promised, stealing a final kiss from Bernie before leaving the room.

Charlotte shuffled over to the edge of the bed once Serena had left and looked up at Bernie expectantly causing her mother to chuckle as she slipped off her shoes and placed them out of the way, “that okay?” she asked as she laid down in the space Charlotte had made for her.

Charlotte nodded and yawned before beginning to cough, “sorry” she mumbled once she finally managed to catch her breath.

“You don’t need to apologise” Bernie kissed Charlotte’s hair as she felt her daughter shift slightly, finally settling once she was tucked into Bernie’s side, her head on her mother’s chest as she listened to the reassuring beat of her heart, “close your eyes, try and get some rest.”

“Will you stay?” Charlotte was already drifting off to sleep.

Bernie chuckled again, “I think you’ve made sure I will” she said, her daughter almost laid on top of her.

Charlotte nodded against Bernie’s chest, “love you Mumma” she yawned again.

Bernie smiled softly and ran her hand through Charlotte's hair, “I love you too.”

Charlotte quickly fell into a deep slumber, her body relaxing into her mother as she got the rest she was so desperate for and, after a restless night with her daughter it didn’t take long for Bernie to doze off too, only her sleep was slightly less restful, waking every time Charlotte so much as shifted in her sleep.

She frowned slightly as she woke again, Charlotte was settled and she couldn’t work out what the annoying buzzing noise that had woken her was.  It took a second for her brain to wake up enough to see Cameron’s phone vibrating on the table over the bed and quickly picked it up, answering the call before it woke Charlotte too, “Cameron’s phone.”

“Erm hi” a slightly nervous voice answered, “I erm, I was hoping to speak to Charlotte.”

“Is that Emma?” Bernie smiled, getting a positive response, “I’m Charlotte’s Mum, she’s sleeping at the moment but if you don’t have any plans for later then I’m sure she’d love to see you.” 

Bernie spoke to Emma for a few minutes before ending the call and placing Cameron’s phone back down on the table over the bed, smiling to herself as she kissed Charlotte’s hair, content to watch her daughter sleep.

“Mumma” Charlotte mumbled as she began to wake a while later.

“I’ve got you” Bernie smiled, “you’re okay.”

Charlotte nodded, taking a few moments to wake up a little bit more before slowly opening her eyes, “hi.”

Bernie smiled and brushed Charlotte’s hair from her face, “hi” she smiled, letting Charlotte wake a little more, still combing her fingers through her hair as she told her, “Emma rang while you were sleeping.”

Charlotte’s face lit up, “she, she rang?”

“She did, and she’s going to come in and see you after she’s finished at work, I’ve told her not to worry about visiting times so if you’re sleeping she can stay until you wake up.”

“Thank you” Charlotte whispered as she put all the energy she had into hugging Bernie, nuzzling into Bernie’s neck as she felt tears spilling from her eyes, “hey” Bernie said softly, “you’re okay” she kissed Charlotte’s hair, “Emma asked me to tell you that she’s missed you, and, and that she loves you.”

“I’ve missed her too” Charlotte whispered, her breath catching in her throat as she got upset.

“You need to try and calm down Darling” Bernie rubbed circles on Charlotte’s back, “take some deep breaths, nice and slowly, that’s it” Berne used her thumb to wipe at Charlotte’s tears, “we don’t want Serena coming back in and wondering what I’ve done to you” she chuckled, smiling as she saw Charlotte smile faintly.

Charlotte shifted slightly, moving so her body was almost completely draped over Bernie’s, “is this okay?” she asked sleepily.

Bernie tucked Charlotte’s hair from her hair behind her ears, “are you comfortable?” Charlotte nodded against Bernie’s chest, “then it’s absolutely fine with me, so why don’t you close your eyes and try and get some more sleep before Emma comes in?”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's interested, as I'm writing I'm imagining Emma to be a young Heather Peace but feel free to imagine her however you want!

Bernie looked up as the door creaked open a few hours later, smiling as she saw Serena walk into the room, Serena returning the smile at the sight of Charlotte sprawled over Bernie in her sleep, “Charlotte’s visitor’s here” she smiled, Bernie having mentioned Emma’s visit to her already, “I’ve asked her to wait in the office for a minute so you can wake Charlotte up.”

“Thank you” Bernie smiled, “do you want to give me five minutes and then show her in? And can I have a word with you once they’re sorted?”

Serena nodded, “of course, is everything okay?”

“It’s fine” Bernie told her, “nothing to worry about” she promised.  Serena nodded again and smiled at Bernie before leaving the room, Bernie gently kissing Charlotte’s forehead and running her fingers through her daughter’s hair, “Char” she said softly, “it’s time to wake up Darling.”

Charlotte frowned, “Mumma?”

“Emma’s here, it’s time to wake up.”

“Emma?” Charlotte yawned as she began to wake.

“Mmm” Bernie kept running her fingers through Charlotte’s hair, “Serena’s asked her to wait in the office for a minute so you can wake up a bit.”

“Are you going?” Charlotte asked quietly.

“I’m going to give you and Emma some time to yourself” Bernie nodded, “but I won’t be leaving the hospital.”

“Where?” Bernie smiled as she could tell Charlotte was still half asleep.

“I’m going to have a quick word with Serena and then I’m going to get something to eat with Cameron in the canteen, I’ll bring you something back too.”

Charlotte nodded and slowly shuffled off of Bernie, allowing her Mum to get off the bed and help her into a more comfortable position, “I’m going to give Cam his phone back” Bernie told her, “but I’ll leave you mine, if you need me, call Cam” she tucked Charlotte’s hair behind her ears, “and Serena will be on the ward too, you can ask her for anything you need. I’ll come back in an hour or so but if Emma needs to go before then, one of you call me and I’ll come straight back.”

Charlotte nodded again, “Love you Mumma.”

Bernie smiled and kissed Charlotte’s forehead again as she picked up Cameron’s phone and left her own in Charlotte’s reach, “I love you too Darling.”

Serena knocked on the door just moments later, Bernie smiling as she looked up and nodded, letting Serena know it was fine for her to bring Emma into the room, “Charlie” the young brunette gasped, as she raced over to the bed, flinging her bag to the floor and wrapping her arms around Charlotte, “hey no, you're okay, don't cry, you're okay, it's okay” she reassured her as she felt Charlotte's tears warm against her neck.

“Have you spoken to her?” Bernie asked Serena quietly.

Serena nodded, “she seems nice, she was really worried about Charlotte.” 

Bernie nodded, “I'll just let her know where I'm going and then I'll meet you in the office?”

“I'll have a cuppa waiting” Serena said softly, squeezing Bernie’s hand before heading towards the staffroom.

“Charlotte” Bernie said softly, causing both girls to look up at her.

“I'm so sorry” Emma held her hand out, “I'm Emma, obviously.”

Bernie chuckled and shook Emma’s hand, “Bernie, Charlotte’s Mum, obviously.”

“It's nice to finally meet you.”

Bernie smiled, “I'm going to get some dinner with Charlotte’s brother, have you eaten?” Emma shook her head, “I'll bring you both something back. I'm leaving Charlotte my phone so you can call me on Cam’s phone” she explained before kissing Charlotte’s forehead, “I'll be back in about an hour” she promised, “but call me if you need me okay?”

Charlotte nodded and clumsily grasped at Bernie’s hand, “Mumma” she whispered, “love you.”

Bernie smiled and kissed Charlotte’s forehead again, tucking her hair behind her ears as she whispered back, “I love you too” she wiped at Charlotte’s tears with her thumbs, “always.”

After checking Charlotte would be okay and reminding her once again that she could call her whenever she needed before going to join Serena in the office.

She spent 20 minutes with her partner as she waited for Cameron to finish with his patient before taking him to the canteen. “Did you leave anything at your Dad’s when you left or did you take everything with you?” Bernie asked her son as they sat opposite each other picking at their food.

He shook his head, “I just took what I could carry, what I needed, laptop, a few clothes, textbooks, why?”

“I’m going to see him, do you want to come and get some things, for you and Charlotte while I talk to him?”

Cam nodded, “sure, are you sure you’ll just be ‘talking’ to him?”

“Unfortunately yes” Bernie chuckled, “I’ve promised Serena I won’t do anything that could get me arrested. She’s said she’ll sit with Charlotte for a bit tomorrow if you’re free to…”

“Of course” Cam nodded, “after my shift?”

Bernie nodded, “Serena's going to lend me her car, we'll be able to get more of your stuff in it.”

“If he hasn’t thrown it out” Cameron sighed.

Bernie gently squeezed his arm, “if he has then we can replace it, don’t worry about that.”

“Thanks Mum” Cam smiled, “I erm…” he looked down, pushing his dinner around his plate for a minute, “I'm glad you came back and I'm sorry about what I said when you were divorcing Dad and I'm more than certain Charlie is too.”

Bernie reached over to gently squeeze Cameron’s hand, “you were angry at me for what I'd done, I'm aware that your dad probably had some influence over what was said, I understand, and it's okay, I'm not angry or… I've got you and Charlotte, that's the most important thing.”

“I shouldn't… you're so much happier now, I should never have tried to stop that.”

“You didn't know that at the time” Bernie told him, “and all you could see was me breaking up your family, honestly Cam, don't worry about it, it's in the past now.”

Cam smiled and nodded, “do you think Charlotte would let me see her before I go home?”

“Of course” Bernie nodded, “but maybe wait until Emma leaves? I'll get you a taxi home if you miss the last bus.”

“Thank you” Cam smiled, “are you going to take Charlie some food?”

“Yeah, I'll take something for Emma too” Bernie nodded, “you can wait in the office if you want?”

“Okay” Cam nodded, “I'll get changed and meet you there?” he asked, referring to the fact that he was still in his scrubs.

“Okay” Bernie agreed, thanking Cam as he cleared away their rubbish, allowing her to go back to the counter and order food for both Charlotte and Emma.

She stood watching the pair through the window in the door once she returned to AAU and couldn’t help but smile, Emma was sat by the bed with one of Charlotte’s hands held in her own, Charlotte with a sleepy smile on her face as she gazed at Emma, she gave them another minute before knocking gently on the door, watching Charlotte’s face light up as she walked into the room, “Mumma” she whispered.

Bernie smiled, “hi, I’ve brought you both something to eat, there’s a pasta bake, I think Cam said it was bolognaise and there’s a jacket potato with beans, I’ll let you fight over who has what” she said as she placed two bottles of fruit juice and some water on the table over the bed so she could retrieve the plastic cutlery from her pocket.

“Thank you” Emma reached for her bag, “how much do I…”

“Nothing” Bernie interrupted, “don’t worry about it” she tucked a lock of Charlotte’s hair behind her ear, “I’ll be in the office if you need me” she promised.

Charlotte nodded but didn’t let go of Bernie’s hand, “you, you’ll come back?”

“Oh Charlotte” Bernie wrapped her arms around her daughter, “I will always come back, I promise I’m not going to leave you or Cam ever again.”

“I love you” Charlotte whispered against her mother’s chest.

Bernie smiled and kissed the top of Charlotte’s head, “I love you too you big softy, now do you think you’ll be okay eating what I brought or do you want me to go and fetch you something else?”

“Only if I can have the pasta” Charlotte mumbled as she glanced at Emma.

Emma laughed, “sure, can you manage on your own or do you want some help” 

Bernie smiled and kissed Charlotte a final time, “I’ll leave you two to it” she looked at Charlotte, “I’m not even going to leave the ward this time, I promise you, when Emma’s ready to leave, call me and I’ll come back okay.”

Charlotte nodded as Emma opened the two polystyrene boxes and put the pasta in front of her, “okay.”

Bernie smiled at her daughter as she left the room, bumping almost instantly into Serena, “everything okay?” she asked.

Bernie nodded, “just taking Charlie and Emma something to eat, I’m going to wait in the office until Emma’s ready to leave.”

“Okay” Serena smiled, “I’ve just done the handover to the night shift so do you fancy a coffee or something before I go?”

“Yeah” Bernie smiled, “that’d be nice but I erm, I said Cam could wait in the office too, he wants to see Charlotte before he goes home.”

“Perfect” Serena linked her fingers with Bernie’s as they walked over to the office, “he can go down to Pulses and fetch them for us, save me the walk.”

Bernie laughed, Serena happy to see the worry had faded from Bernie’s face, “sounds like a plan to me.”


	11. Chapter 11

Bernie, Cameron and Serena had been in the office for almost half an hour when there was a gentle tap on the door, Bernie leaning over from where she sat, hand in hand with Serena on the visitor chairs, to open the door.

“Charlotte’s fallen asleep so I'm going to get off, I told her I'd let you know on my way out” Emma told them, “she erm, she said she had a headache and looked a bit pale before she fell asleep, I don't know if it was because she was tired or not so I just thought I'd mention it.”

Bernie nodded and smiled, “we’ll keep an eye on her thanks", she handed Emma a scrap of paper, “that's my number, let me know when you want to visit her again.”

“Thank you” Emma smiled, “it erm, it was nice to meet you.”

“It was nice to meet you too” Bernie told her,”and you're welcome to come and see Charlotte whenever you want” she said before looking over at Cameron who was putting his jacket on, “aren't you going to see Charlie?”

He shook his head, “not if she's asleep, if she wakes will you tell her I'll come in and see her before my shift in the morning? There's a bus in ten minutes I can get”

Bernie nodded, “of course” she then shook her head, “sorry, Cameron, this is Emma, Charlotte’s partner?” she looked up at Emma, not sure if Emma and Charlotte were still together but she couldn't help but smile when Emma nodded, “Emma, this is Cameron, Charlie’s brother and Serena, my partner and co lead on this ward.”

“We met earlier” Emma nodded, gesturing to Serena before looking at Cameron, “which way are you going? I'm heading into town if that's any good for you? I'm happy to give you a lift, save you getting the bus.”

Cameron nodded as he picked up his bag, “yeah, that’d be great thanks if you don't mind?”

“No, of course not.” Emma waited for Cameron to say goodbye to Bernie and Serena before saying goodbye herself and leaving the ward with Cameron.

“Well” Bernie said as she stood, intending to go back to Charlotte, “Charlie seems to have chosen well.”

Serena nodded, “she’s got good taste, that's for sure, did you see Emma’s cheekbones? They're good enough to rival Jac Naylor’s!”

Bernie laughed, “have you got a cheekbone fetish Ms Campbell?” she teased.

Serena rolled her eyes, “you’d better get back to Charlie, do you want me to sit with you for half an hour before I go? Jason’s at chess club so he won't be home until about 9.”

Bernie nodded and smiled, “yeah, that’d be nice, thank you.”

Charlotte didn’t wake as Serena and Bernie sat side by side by the bed, fingers entwined as they spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb Charlotte as she got the rest she needed.

Serena left a little after 8.30 and Bernie moved her chair closer to the bed, kissing her fingers before laying them on Charlotte’s cheek, “sweet dreams beautiful girl” she whispered before settling back in the chair and closing her own eyes.

The next time she woke, she knew something wasn’t right, Charlotte was still asleep but she had a frown on her face as she fidgeted in the bed, her breaths seeming more laboured than before, “Charlotte?” Bernie frowned as she brushed her daughter’s hair back from her face, her concern growing as she noticed how warm her daughter was.

“Raf” it was a little after midnight when he heard Bernie call his name as he sat at the nurse’s station filling in some details onto patient’s files, he recognised the hint of worry in her voice and quickly turned to face her seeing the panic on her face. “It's Charlotte.” 

“What's wrong?” he asked as he followed her towards the side room, motioning for a nurse to follow them.

“She's shivering but she feels like she's burning up and she’s struggling for breath, I’ve swapped her back to the oxygen mask but it doesn’t seem to be helping.”

“Okay” Raf walked over to the bed, Bernie was right, Charlotte did seem to be wheezing a lot more than she had been when he’d seen her not long after starting his shift, “can you sit up for me a bit please Charlotte” he asked as he took his stethoscope from his beck, thanking Bernie when she helped Charlotte sit up. He spoke his findings as he listened to Charlotte's lungs before checking her temperature, “let's get her on some IV paracetamol and get a fan in here to try and cool her down” he told the nurse before turning back to Bernie, “obviously I don't want her to get too cool too quickly. I'll get her on some stronger antibiotics too and I'll get someone from Darwin to come and check her over too just to be on the safe side” he said as he gently squeezed Bernie’s arm, he was almost certain that a stronger dose of antibiotics and something to bring her temperature was all Charlotte needed but she was Bernie's daughter and he didn't want to miss anything.

Despite Raf’s best attempts, Charlotte’s temperature continued to rise and, by the time Matteo arrived on AAU she was wearily thrashing in the bed, her fever causing her to hallucinate, tiredly crying out as she fought imaginary demons despite Bernie’s best attempts to calm her.

After examining Charlotte Matteo agreed that the stronger antibiotics were needed but decided he wanted to move her to the high dependency unit on Darwin, “just got a day or two until we’re sure the antibiotics are working and we’ve got her fever under control.”

“Do you want me to call Serena for you?” Raf asked, “or Cameron?”

Bernie shook her head, “I'll call Cam in the morning and if you could let Serena know when she gets in in the morning?”

“Of course” he nodded, “and don't worry about Charlotte’s things, I'll send them up” he said, knowing Bernie was more worried than she was letting on about Charlotte. 

Bernie nodded “thank you” she mumbled to Raf, just grabbing her handbag as she followed Charlotte from the room. 

It didn’t take long for Charlotte to be settled in the HDU room on Darwin, Bernie’s mind briefly flashing back to when she’d laid in that very same bed, wondering if she’d ever walk again.  Matteo briefly laid his hand on Bernie’s arm to get her attention once he’d finished making sure Charlotte was okay, “can I get you anything, tea or…?”

She shook her head, “no, thank you.”

“Okay, well you know where I am if you change your mind, I’ve put her on 20 minute obs and I’ll come in and check on her myself in about an hour or so.”

Bernie nodded as she ran her hand through her hair, “thank you.”  Matteo left the room and Bernie flopped exhaustedly into the chair by Charlotte’s bed, “oh Darling” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes as she picked up her daughter’s hand, “you were doing so well” she laid her head on the bed next to Charlotte, “i hope you know that if I could take this from you then I would, I can’t… you just concentrate on getting better Charlie, it’s killing me to see you like this, if there was something I can do… I know I’m not, that I struggle sometimes to tell you how I feel, but I hope you know I love you Charlie, I love you and Cam more than I ever thought it possible to love another person and, whilst I know my marriage wasn’t always the best, I don’t regret marrying your dad, how could I when he gave me two of the best things in my life?”

Bernie was still talking quietly to Charlotte when Matteo came back in an hour later, reassuring Bernie when he told her that Charlotte’s temperature was finally beginning to fall, telling her how he planned on treating the pneumonia even though he was well aware that Bernie probably already knew.  They’d both been doctors for long enough that they recognised the noise Charlotte made a few seconds later, Bernie moving the oxygen mask from Charlotte’s face, Matteo rolling her onto her side just moments before she was sick.

“Mumma” Charlotte’s eyes were wide with fear as she reached out to Bernie, “Mumma.”

“You’re okay” Bernie carefully pulled her daughter into her arms as she began coughing again, “I’ve got you, you’re okay” she reassured her before turning her attention to Matteo when she heard him speaking to her.

“The vomiting could be a side effect of the new antibiotics, I’ll get her some antiemetics to see if that helps” Matteo told Bernie, “I’ll get someone to come and change her bed too” he said before grimacing as Charlotte was sick again, this time on Bernie’s shoulder and back, “and I’ll get you some scrubs”.

Bernie nodded, Charlotte still gripping tightly to her, “thank you” she nodded before turning her attention back to her daughter as she tried desperately to calm her down and keep her own tears at bay.


	12. Chapter 12

Matteo returned just minutes later, putting a navy scrub top and a packet of baby wipes onto the table over Charlotte’s bed before adding something to Charlotte’s IV, “that should stop her vomiting again” he told Bernie as she managed to extract herself from her daughter's grasp long enough to change her top, not caring about Matteo being there as she stripped off her shirt and pulled on the scrub top before using the wipes to gently clean Charlotte’s mouth.

“I’ve got you Charlie, I’ve got you” she repeated as Charlie cried out for her.  


“Mumma” Charlie whimpered, “Mumma.”

“I know” Bernie gently stroked her cheek, noticing from the monitors that Charlotte’s heart rate was elevated and wanting to calm her down, “I know you’re not feeling well but you need to try and calm down darling” she told her as she replaced the oxygen mask, “I’m not going anywhere.” Charlotte was still clutching at Bernie, Bernie’s back beginning to ache from being bent awkwardly over the bed as she looked up at Matteo, “can you move the chair to that side of the bed?” she asked, nodding towards where he was stood, next to all the machines that were monitoring Charlotte’s condition.

“Of course” he did as Bernie asked, not sure what she was going to do when she carefully extracted herself from Charlotte’s grip, moving around the bed before lifting her daughter into her arms and sitting down in the chair, Charlotte’s head lolling onto her shoulder as she cradled her like she had so many times when she was younger, Charlotte beginning to calm as she nuzzled into her mother.

“Thank you” Bernie nodded when Matteo took the pillows from the bed and placed them over the arms of the chair, one in the small of Charlotte’s back, the other under her knees to make her more comfortable.

“I’ll fetch you some clean blankets” he said as he balled up the dirty ones from the bed before looking at Bernie and frowning slightly, “you erm” he gestured to the side of his neck. Bernie raised an eyebrow and Matteo just picked up the baby wipes left on the table, wiping one through her hair, “you had vomit in your hair” he told her simply.

“Thank you” Bernie didn’t look up from her daughter as Matteo put the baby wipes back and left the room with the dirty sheets.

It was 6am when Raf sent Serena a text, asking her to call him as soon as possible and her call came just 15 minutes later, “Raf, is something wrong?” she asked as soon as he answered the phone.

“It’s Charlotte…” before he could finish, Serena interrupted.

“What’s happened.”

“She took a turn for the worse just after midnight, I changed her antibiotics to something stronger but I asked the oncall from Darwin to come down and take a look at her and Matteo moved her up to their HDU so he could keep an eye on her.”

"Oh God” Serena began grabbing her things so she could get to work as soon as possible, “why didn’t you call me?” 

“Bernie asked me not to, she asked me to tell you when you came in but..”

“No, okay, right, well I’ll be in as soon as I can and I’ll go up and see her as soon as I get in.”

“Don’t worry about handover, if you need me to do an extra hour or two so you can sit with Bernie then I can manage, I got a couple of hours in the on call room earlier so…”

Serena nodded, “thanks Raf, I’ll be down as soon as I can.”

Bernie hadn’t slept, just sat watching Charlotte sleep in her arms all night, kissing her forehead and mumbling quietly to her every time she stirred.  It was almost 7 when she shifted her hold on Charlotte slightly so she could pull her phone from the pocket of her jeans so she could text Cameron,  _ ‘Charlie had a rough night, she’s okay now but if you still want to see her before your shift, she’s in HDU on Darwin x.’ _

Unsurprisingly Cam’s reply came straight away,  _ ‘I’ve just got on the bus, will come up as soon as I get to the hospital. You should have called me Mum, are you okay? X’ _

_ ‘I’m fine and Charlie’s sleeping, I didn’t want to worry you x.’ _

The door to the room opened almost as soon as Bernie pressed send, but she didn’t look up, assuming it was just a nurse coming in to check Charlotte’s obs again, that was until she heard a concerned voice whisper her name.

“Bernie” Serena had felt her heart break as she’d walked into the room to find Bernie sat in the chair, cradling Charlotte’s lifeless body, head bowed and tears still wet on her cheeks, “oh Bernie” she walked over and gently kissed Bernie’s temple, screwing her nose up at the smell of stale vomit, guessing instantly that was why Bernie was wearing scrubs, “why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you, I didn’t want you feeling like you needed to come in and sit with me all night when you’ve got a shift this morning” Bernie frowned slightly and glanced down at her phone, “you’re in early.”

“Raf called me” she admitted, “well, he sent me a text and asked me to call him, he thought I’d want to be here and I do, I made a few phone calls on my way in, Ric’s going to cover AAU today so I can stay with you, and if Cameron wants to take some time off then I’ve okayed that with Hanssen too”

“Thank you” 

“It’s not a problem” Serena brushed Bernie’s hair from her face before flicking through Charlotte’s notes, “it says she’s been settled since about 3” she said softly, “so why don’t you lay her back in that bed and go for a shower?” she suggested, “I’m sure no one will complain about you using the showers up here so you don’t have to to too far.”

Bernie looked at Charlotte before looking up at Serena, “you, you’ll stay with her?” She knew Serena was right, she'd wanted to shower all night but hadn’t wanted to let go of her daughter.

“Of course” Serena promised, gently squeezing Bernie’s shoulder, “do you need me to call Cam for you?”

“No, no” Bernie stood, gently laying Charlotte on the bed, relieved when she didn’t wake, “I sent him a text, he’s on his way in, said he’ll come straight up.”

“Okay.  What about Emma?”

“Emma” Bernie had forgotten all about her, “I, I haven’t got her number” she said, thinking for a minute before she remembered, “she called Cam’s phone yesterday, he’ll have her number, when he gets here…”

“I’ll call Emma” Serena promised, “don’t you worry, you just go and get a shower and then when Cam gets here, I’ll let him sit with Charlotte while I go downstairs and get us all a coffee and something to eat okay?”

Bernie nodded, “thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me for anything” Serena told her, “I know you’re focusing everything you have on worrying about Charlotte and getting her better, so let me worry about you, let me take care of you so you can take care of her.”

Bernie nodded again, “I love you.”

“I love you too” Serena smiled softly, “and once you’ve showered, I’d be more than happy to give you however much affection you need but for now you need to go and wash your hair, I promise you, I won’t leave Charlotte until Cameron gets here okay? And even then I’ll only be going down to Pulses.”

Bernie picked up her bag and managed to force a smile, “okay.”

Serena settled herself in the chair by the bed once Bernie had left, “what are we going to do with you hmm?” she asked softly as she took Charlotte’s hand in hers, “I thought you were meant to be getting better, not scaring your Mum half to death” she sighed softly and brushed Charlotte’s hair back from her face, “we know you can’t help being ill though, so you just concentrate on getting better and I’ll concentrate on making sure your mum’s okay.”

“Mum” Cameron flew through the door just minutes after Bernie had left.

“She’s gone for a shower” Serena told him, “I think Charlotte was sick on her in the night.”

“What happened?” Cameron asked, thanking Serena as she stood to allow him to sit beside her sister.

“She needed stronger antibiotics, from reading her notes, her temperature spiked in the night and Mr Rossini wanted to keep an eye on her up here.  The vomiting was probably a side effect of the antibiotics and they’ll probably make her sleep for a while too, but that’s not a bad thing, it’ll give her body chance to heal.”

“Did Mum call you?” Cameron didn’t look up from his sister.

“No, no, Raf called me this morning, said he offered to call me, call us both last night but your Mum asked him not to. She erm, she said Emma called your phone yesterday, you’re the only one who has her number.”

“Oh God, of course, let me phone her and…”

Serena squeezed Cameron’s shoulder, “just let me have her number, I’ll call her.  I told your Mum I’d go and get her something to eat when you arrived so I’ll call her when I go downstairs.”

Cameron nodded and simply handed over his phone, Emma’s number on the screen, “just take that” he told her, “I erm…”

He didn’t need to finish, Serena knew what he was going to say, “don’t worry about your shift, I’ve already cleared it with Hanssen, you can stay with Charlie and your Mum.”

“Can you stay too?” Cameron asked before shaking his head, “no, you’ll need to get down to the ward, of course you will, sorry.”

Serena squeezed his shoulder again, “I’ve sorted cover for the ward.”

“Thank you” Cameron whispered, “I think Mum would appreciate you being here.”

“I’m here for both of you” Serena promised, “and who knows, between us, we might even convince her to try and get some sleep in the on call room.”

Cameron managed a small laugh as Serena opened the door to leave, “good luck with that!”


	13. Chapter 13

Bernie returned from her shower just minutes before Serena came back into the room, “Emma’s going to come in and see Charlotte again after work” she told them both as she passed out coffee and pastries, “I thought she and I could sit with Charlotte if you two still want to go and see Marcus.”

Bernie nodded in thanks as Serena passed over her coffee, “I erm, I’ll see how Charlotte is, if she’s still stable then…”

“Okay” Serena ran her fingers through Bernie’s hair as she stood by her chair, “but I think you know as well as I do that the strength of those antibiotics will probably knock her out for a while.”

“I know” Bernie nodded, relaxing into Serena’s touch, “but I just…”

“I understand” Serena told her, thanking Cameron as he stood, letting Serena take his chair, “there’s no need to make a decision right now.”

They all looked up when they heard the door to the room squeak open, “I just thought I’d say hi” Mo stepped into the room, “Matteo’s just done the hand over and asked me to keep an eye on Charlotte so I thought I’d come in and see how she’s doing” she said as she picked up the notes from the holder at the end of the bed and read through them, “I’m going into theatre soon but I’ll keep her on 30 minute obs for the time being and I’ll come in and see her again when I’m out of theatre, if you need anything in the meantime, Ollie and Zosia are on the ward and Jac’s in the office doing paperwork.”

“Thank you” Bernie nodded as Serena gently squeezed her hand.

“No worries” Mo smiled before noticing Cameron stood by Charlotte’s bed, “I’ll get someone to bring in an extra chair” she told him before stepping out of the room, happy to turn a blind eye to the ‘two visitors per patient’ rule for Charlotte.

“Why don’t you try and get your head down for an hour in the on call room?” Serena suggested once Bernie had finished her coffee, the blonde’s head resting on her girlfriend’s shoulder, “Cam and I can sit with Charlotte, take your phone and one of us will ring you if there’s any change.”

“I…”

“Don’t try and tell me you’re fine” Serena interrupted her, “you’re not, you’re barely keeping yourself awake despite the coffee and, as happy as I am for you to fall asleep on my shoulder, I think your back would thank you for getting some rest in a proper bed.”

“If she wakes…?”

“We’ll call you straight away” Serena promised as she dropped a kiss to Bernie’s temple.

Both Serena and Cameron were surprised when Bernie didn’t protest, she simply nodded and rummaged through one of the bags Raf had brought up for her in the middle of the night for her phone charger, “I won’t be long.”

Serena reached for Bernie’s hand, “take as long as you need Bernie, Charlotte needs to rest and so do you.”

“Serena’s right Mum” Cameron piped up, “Charlotte’s fine, and if anything changes we’ll let you know straight away, you get some sleep, you’ve been up with her all night, it’s our turn now, you don’t have to do this on your own.”

Bernie nodded, too exhausted to argue, “thank you.”

Bernie fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow in the on call room as Cameron and Serena made casual conversation over Elinor’s bed, “you don’t mind me being here do you?” Serena asked Cameron.

“Not at all” he answered quickly, “you’re Mum’s partner and, let’s face it, no matter what she says she needs as many people as possible supporting her while Charlotte’s ill, I don’t think she’d have gone to sleep if I’d have asked her to.”

Serena nodded, “I just don’t want you to think I’m intruding.”

“I don’t” he told her, “and I know you’ve not really spent any time together, but Charlotte seems to like you so I’m sure she won’t mind either, I just hope my Dad doesn’t think he can come and see her when he finds out what’s happened.”

“Do you think he would?”

Cameron shrugged, “I honestly don’t know, I never, Charlotte was such a Daddy’s girl, she was his little Princess, that’s what he used to call her, I never imagined there’d be anything that would make him throw her out so I honestly don’t know what he’s capable of anymore.”

“I think your Mum would have something to say if he tried.”

“Me too” Cameron laughed, “she said you’d made her promise she wouldn’t do anything that would get her arrested when she goes to see him.  Thanks for that”

“Don’t worry about it” Serena smiled, “but between you and I, if it was for giving your dad a taste of his own medicine, well, I’d pay your Mum’s bail, no questions asked.”

“And I’m sure she’d do the same if you ever needed bail” he grinned.

They fell into an easy silence before Charlotte shifted slightly in the bed and let out a groan, “you’re okay Charlotte” Serena told her softly as she reached out to her.

“Yeah, you might feel a bit strange but that’s just the drugs they’re giving you to help you feel better” Cam tried to explain before frowning as he tried to brush Charlotte’s hair from her face, “she feels warm.”

Serena laid the back of her hand against Charlotte’s forehead before reaching for the thermometer that had been left by the bed, “her temperature is a little raised, 38.2” she told him, “will you let Oliver or Zosia know please, and perhaps ask if we could have a fan, it is a little warm in here.”  

Cameron nodded, “should I call Mum?”

“She’s not been gone long, let’s see if we can get Charlotte settled first shall we? If she doesn’t settle in the next 5 or 10 minutes then we’ll let your Mum know” Cameron nodded, that seemed fair and he left the room to find a doctor, allowing Serena to turn her attention back to Charlotte, “you’re okay” she reassured her as she began to stroke her cheek like she’d seen Bernie do so many times before, “Cameron’s just gone to fetch a doctor and your Mum’s gone to have a quick nap but she’ll be back before you know it” she spoke softly to Charlotte as she peeled back the blanket, leaving her only covered by the thin sheet, noticing that she seemed to be settling again, “I’m afraid Cameron was right, the antibiotics we’re giving you to make you better will probably make you feel a bit groggy and spaced out for a while but you get as much sleep as you need to, don’t you worry about anything else but getting better”  Charlotte wearily lifted her hand from the bed, “you’re okay” Serena took the hand in her own, “we’re not going to leave you.”

“Doctor March is with a patient, she’ll be in as soon as she’s finished” Cameron told Serena as he came back into the room with a fan, setting it up on the table over the bed and letting a slight breeze blow over his sister, “is she okay?”

“I don’t think she really woke properly, she’s settled again” Serena reassured him as Zosia walked into the room.

“Sorry for the wait” she apologised as she sanitised her hands with the gel at the end of Charlotte’s bed, “can I…” she gestured to the thermometer, thanking Serena as she passed it over before moving out of Zosia’s way.  “Her temperature’s not too high” she said, looking at her notes once she’d checked Charlotte over, and everything else seems fine, it is a little warm in here anyway so let’s see how she gets on with the fan, I’ll give her 15-20 minutes and if she’s not started to cool down by then then we’ll see about increasing her dose of paracetamol slightly.”

Serena nodded, “thank you.”

“Is Ms Wolfe…”

“She’s gone for a nap in the on call room.”

Zosia nodded, “well I trust your judgement” she told both Serena and Cameron, I’ll come back in and check on her in a little while but if you’re worried about anything in the meantime then don’t hesitate to call someone.” She sanitised her hands again, reassuring Cameron and Serena there was nothing to thank her for before she left the room, leaving Cameron and Serena sat in silence, both holding Charlotte’s hand, both hoping she recovered quickly.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but I think we all know it's only here to lead on to what's going to happen next time!

Despite only intending on taking a quick catnap, it was almost four hours later when Bernie finally woke and made her way back to Charlotte, “you’re looking better” Serena smiled as Bernie walked into the room.

“I feel better, thank you” she smiled as she sat down in the empty chair, “how is she?”

“Her temperature rose not long after you left” Serena told her, reaching for Bernie’s hand when she saw a look of fear cross her face, “it was nothing too worrying, 38.2, Zosia came in to check her over and agreed with Cameron and I that it was quite warm in here and that’s probably what caused Charlotte’s temperature to rise, her temperature started to drop when we got the fan on her and it’s back to normal now, Mo’s out of theatre and she came to check on her not long ago and she’s happy just to keep an eye on things for now but said that there’s room to increase her paracetamol dosage if needs be.”

Bernie nodded, “did she wake?”

Cam shook his head, “she started to stir a little bit when her temperature rose but she didn’t wake properly and she settled back down within a couple of minutes which is why we didn’t wake you.”

Bernie nodded, believing that Serena or Cameron would have told her if Charlotte had woken properly, “thank you.”

They sat in silence for a while, Bernie and Cameron each holding Charlotte’s hands, Serena gently trailing patterns along Bernie’s back with her fingertips.  The silence was disturbed by Cameron’s phone bleeping a while later and he quickly apologised as he pulled it from his pocket, putting it on silent before reading the text.

“Cam” Bernie asked softly when she saw him chew his bottom lip as he looked down at her phone “is everything okay?”

Cameron nodded and looked up at Bernie, “everything’s fine, I erm, would you mind if I went to get some fresh air?”

“Of course” Bernie nodded, “you don't have to ask, take some money from my purse and bring us all something back from the canteen for lunch?”

Cam nodded, pushing his phone back into his pocket as he stood up, “I'll get us some lunch but don't worry about the money, I've got it.”

Bernie nodded and smiled at her son as he left the room, “am I missing something?” Serena asked as she saw the smile on Bernie’s face.

“Cam” Bernie smiled, “he thinks I don't know that he and Morven are together.”

“They…”

“You could go down to AAU now, either Cam will be there with her, or she’ll conveniently be on her break now.”.

“Are you sure? They could just be friends?”

“I know my son” Bernie chuckled, “and as much as I don't want to think of him as anything other than my little boy, if they are ‘friends' there are certain benefits that go along with that friendship.”

Serena laughed and shook her head, “I'm not going to ask how you know that, it's not something I want to know.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Charlotte stirring in the bed, “Mumma” she whimpered tiredly as she tried to move, “Mumma.”

“I'm here Darling” Bernie reached up to stroke Charlotte’s cheek, “you're okay.”

“Hot” Charlie mumbled, blindly reaching out to her mother, her eyes still shut.

Bernie laid the back of her hand on Charlotte’s forehead, feeling relieved to find that, whilst Charlotte did feel a little warm, she didn't feel like she had a fever. “Okay Darling” Bernie thanked Serena as she turned the fan up, “is that better?” Bernie tucked Charlotte’s hair behind her ears, smiling as she nodded wearily, “do you want to try and drink some water?”

Charlotte nodded again and Bernie lifted the head of the bed as Serena moved around the bed to pour out a cup of cool water, putting a straw in the cup and waiting for Bernie to remove Charlotte’s oxygen mask before she handed it over, “drink it slowly” Serena said softly as she brushed Charlotte’s hair back from her forehead as Bernie put the straw between her daughter’s lips.

“Mumma” Charlotte whispered once she’d finished.

“I know Darling” Serena took the water from Bernie as she bent to kiss her daughter’s temple, “I know you feel tired and achey and that you probably can't think straight, we’ve had to give you some stronger antibiotics to help your body fight the pneumonia. You're probably going to feel rough for a few days I'm afraid but you'll feel better soon.”

“Cam?” Charlotte whispered.

“He's gone out to get some fresh air Darling, he’ll be back soon, Serena’s here and Emma’s going to come in and see you tonight.”

“My...my Emma?”

Bernie smiled softly, “your Emma, she's going to come in after work again to sit with you.”

“L, love Emma.”

“I know you do Darling and she loves you too.”

Charlotte nodded, already dozing off again, “Rena loves you Mumma.”

Bernie chuckled as she laid the bed down again to let Charlotte get some sleep, “I know she does” Bernie lifted her gaze to meet Serena’s, “and I love her too.”

Bernie smiled as she sat down beside Serena, “she's right” Serena said as she linked their fingers, “I do love you.”

“I know” Bernie leaned over to kiss Serena’s cheek briefly, “I love you too, and as soon as Charlotte’s better I'm going to take you to that little Italian place you like…”

“The one with the wine list?”

“That's the one” Bernie smiled, “I know a meal and a bottle of Shiraz won't even begin to thank you for…”

Serena gently placed her index finger on Bernie’s lips to stop her talking and tucked a stray curl behind her ears, “you don't need to thank me for anything, but you know I'd never say no to being wined and dined, especially not in such spectacular company.”

Bernie smiled softly and squeezed Serena’s hand as she thought for a moment, “if it's okay with Cam, and you of course, I might still go and see Marcus when Emma gets here, if you're okay to stay here with Charlotte?”

Serena nodded and squeezed Bernie’s hand, “of course I will” she saw Bernie open her mouth to speak again but Serena cut in before she had chance, “and I’ll call you if anything changes, I promise.”

“Thank you” Bernie smiled, “I know she’s settled, and I know the antibiotics mean she’s probably going to sleep for a quite a while, I think it was how tired I felt that was putting me off, especially taking Cameron, and in your car, but I feel a lot better now I’ve had some sleep.”

“Good” Serena kissed her cheek, “and if you need to nap this afternoon then I’ll lend you my shoulder.”

Bernie smiled and nodded, letting her head fall onto Serena’s shoulder, “thank you.”

Bernie did doze off later that afternoon after they’d eaten the food Cameron had helpfully picked up from the canteen on his way back and she woke to Serena gently kissing her temple a while later, she’d stirred several times when someone had been into check on Charlotte, and she smiled sleepily as she woke, “Emma will be here in about half an hour” Serena told her, “I thought you might like some time to wake up a bit.”

Bernie nodded and kissed Serena’s cheek, “thank you” she smiled as she stood stretching her back until it clicked and rolling her neck and shoulders to relieve some tension before she sat back down, “are you still okay to come with me?” she asked Cameron.

“Of course” he nodded, “even if only to make sure you don’t break your promise to Serena” he teased.

Bernie rolled her eyes and laughed slightly, “thanks” she said before thanking Serena too as she handed over her keys, “we’ll get off as soon as Emma gets here, we could pick up something dinner on the way back if you want? If you don’t have to get off?”

Serena shook her head, “I told Jason that Charlotte wasn’t well and that I might be late home so he’s decided to go and stay with Alan for a few days, I can stay here all night if you need me to, you just be careful, don't say or do anything you'll regret.”

Bernie nodded and pecked Serena's lips, "I won't lay a finger on him, you have my word."


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you've all been waiting for, Bernie going to visit Marcus, it ended up being slightly less angsty than I wanted it to be so I hope you like it!

It was a short drive back to the house that both Bernie and Cameron used to call home and it was Cameron who knocked on the door a young brunette that Bernie assumed was Marcus' new girlfriend answering the door almost instantly, “oh” she frowned, “it’s you.  Come to apologise have you?”

Cameron rolled his eyes, “is my Dad in?”

“No he’s at work.”

“That’s fine” Bernie spoke for the first time, alerting the other woman to her presence, “we’ll wait” she didn’t give Marcus’ girlfriend time to reply before pushing past her into the house, “you go and do what you need to do” she told Cameron.

“You can’t do that” the woman spat, “you can’t just barge into someone else’s house without permission.”

“I haven’t” Bernie wandered into the living room, “I’ve walked into my own house thank you very much”

The other woman laughed, “you must be the ex-wife, and this isn’t your house, Marcus got it in the divorce, or have you forgotten that?”

Bernie laughed, “is that what he told you?”

“It’s the truth”

“So he hasn’t told you that we paid for most of this house with my inheritance when my father died? And the mortgage we did have only ever came out of my bank account, was only ever in my name?”

“Yes, but you were stupid enough to give it him in the divorce.”

Bernie laughed again, “didn’t he tell you that there was a condition to him getting the house?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is my house, and despite Marcus telling everyone what a horrendous mother I was, I wanted my children to have a stable home, for their sake I agreed Marcus could live here rent free as long as he had one of our children living with him, Cameron’s left and I doubt Charlotte will want to come back so I called my divorce lawyer this morning to tell him the kids had both moved out and that I want my house back” Bernie smiled as she stood in the living room, planning to wait for Marcus to come home from work.

It didn’t take long, Bernie assumed his girlfriend had called him because just 20 minutes later he flew into the living room, “what the hell are you doing?” he asked, his face red with anger, Bernie tense and ready to fight.

“I could ask you the same thing” she spat, “how dare you make me out to be a bad parent when you kick your daughter out without a second thought.”

“Oh please” Marcus laughed bitterly, “after what you did to me, I was hardly likely to wait around for it to happen again. I knew she had your looks but this…”

“For God’s sake” Bernie hissed, “you’re an intelligent man, are you seriously trying to tell me that our daughter’s sexuality is my fault? Have you conveniently forgotten that it was Charlotte who didn’t want to speak to me after she found out about Alex? How the hell do you think I influenced her when she didn’t speak to me for over 6 months?”

“I don’t particularly care Bernie, all that matters now is that she’s gone and I can live my life without worrying which dyke’s going to try and ruin my life next.”

Bernie shook her head, “you really are something else aren’t you?” She briefly regretted promising Serena she wouldn’t hurt Marcus, if she could just wrap her hands around his neck right now… “Have you forgotten which one of us it was that wanted to start a family? Who begged who to let Cameron have a sibling? I’d never have agreed if I’d have known you’d disown any child that didn’t fit your ideals.”

“Oh please…”

“Where is she?” Bernie cut him off, “where’s Charlie now?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? Probably with a friend or that other dyke or something, I don’t know and I don’t care.”

“Do you want to know where she is Marcus? She’s at Holby in the HDU on the cardio ward with double pneumonia and recovering from hypothermia. Last night I sat holding her, rocking her like she was a baby as she clung to me, doing my best to comfort her as she hallucinated because of her fever when nothing any of the doctors tried helped her temperature fall. I had to sit listening to her doctors talk about moving her to ITU because they were worried that her temperature was so high that she’d have a seizure. She didn’t go to stay with a friend Marcus, you made her feel like she couldn’t call me or Cam so she’d been sleeping rough since you kicked her out.  I found my daughter barely breathing on the streets in December Marcus, she was scared, she was lonely and she was life-threateningly ill, all because your reaction to finding out she had a girlfriend made her think that me and her brother would reject her too.”

“She…” the news that his daughter was so seriously ill hit Marcus like a tonne of bricks and he sat awkwardly in the armchair, “I…”

“The consultant that took care of her when she was admitted thought they were going to have to intubate Marcus, the cardio consultant last night mentioned an induced coma to try and help her body recover, if I hadn’t found her when I did, if I’d have been a day, a few hours later she’d probably have died.  Our daughter could have died on her own by some bins in an alleyway thanks to you” Bernie shook her head as the thought brought tears to her own eyes, “I really hope you’re happy with yourself Marcus” she whispered, “and I hope you manage to sleep well tonight” she walked towards the door, “and just in case you do actually care about the girl that used to worship every fibre of your being, once she’s well enough to be discharged I’ll take her home, I’ll make sure she has a safe place to live and, despite being emotionless, absent, uncaring and all the other things you called me, got the kids to call me in the divorce, I’ll make sure that she’s safe, that she knows at least one of her parents loves her no matter who she loves.”  Bernie paused at the bottom of the stairs to call up to her son, “I’ll be in the car Cam, let me know if you need a hand moving anything.”  She didn’t wait for Marcus to speak before she left the house, going back to Serena’s car to try and compose herself before Cameron came back.

She found herself reaching for the glove compartment before remembering that this wasn’t her car and feeling slightly grateful for that, it had been months since she’d last had a cigarette but she knew there was half a packet in the glove compartment of her own car, when she’d quit in the past she always found that she craved cigarettes more when she didn’t have any. She wished she had one now, just to calm her nerves, but she supposed she’d just have to cope without, she let her head fall backwards until it hit the headrest, forcing herself to concentrate on her breathing, she’d taken up yoga after the surgery on her back, it had been a while since she’d been able to find time to do it but she could still remember the breathing techniques, counting each breath, focusing on the feeling of her stomach expanding with each inhale, trying to breathe away the tension she felt.

Once she was calm she reached for her phone and sending a quick text to her son  _ ‘Everything okay? When you’ve packed everything up, will you take pictures of your room and Charlie’s room for me please? Xx’ _

It wasn’t long before her phone beeped with a reply from her son,  _ ‘Almost done, just bringing the bags down now but I’ll take some pics for you x’ _

Bernie got out of the car and walked back over to the house, intending on helping carry the bags Cam had packed back to the car.  She found her son stood on the doorstep, several bags by his feet and Marcus stood in the doorway but it was only as she walked closer that she could hear what her son was saying, “no dad… Charlie’s my sister, you always said I was protective of her from the moment you bought her home from the hospital, you always told me I needed to make sure I looked after her and didn’t let her get hurt. I never through I’d have to protect her from you and I’ve already let her down once by not being there for her, I’m not going to do it again, now, if you don’t mind I’ve got more things to bring down.”

“Cam” Bernie said softly, watching as he turned towards her having not realised she was there, “you haven’t let Charlie down, you’re a good brother and none of this is your fault.”  Cam nodded silently and smiled slightly before heading back into the house, “and don’t you say a word to me” Bernie warned Marcus as she picked up some of the bags and carried them over to the car, not wanting to spend any longer than necessary in the company of her ex-husband  



	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I've been struggling to write the past few updates so I'm thinking about having a bit of a time jump to when Charlotte's discharged from hospital, is that something that you'd all be okay with or would you rather I carried on with her in hospital for a while?

It didn’t take long for Bernie and Cameron to load up Serena’s car, and, despite the fact he’d not had long, Cameron had certainly managed to pack a lot of things for both him and his sister.  They drove in silence for a while before curiosity got the better of Cameron, “Why did you want me to take pictures of our rooms?” he asked.

“Did you hear what I said to your dad’s girlfriend about the house?” Bernie asked, continuing when she saw him shake his head out of the corner of her eye. “The house is mine, when my parents died I got a fairly large inheritance that paid for most of the house and I took out the mortgage for the rest of the house on my own, I don’t know why but your Dad’s name was never on any of the paperwork.”

“But you moved out, you gave it him in the divorce” Cameron frowned. Bernie sighed, “Mum?”

“I thought you and Charlie were probably going through enough with the divorce and finding out that your Mum was a lesbian, so I said that your Dad could stay in the house as long as you or Charlie were still living with him, I know you were both angry with me for breaking up your family, for leaving just when you’d got me back but I didn’t want you to feel like I’d kicked you out of your home too, and to be honest, I’d probably spent more time on deployment than in that house, it was more your home than mine.”

“You walked away from a house that you bought so that Charlie and I could still have some level of normality despite the divorce?”

Bernie nodded, “yeah.”

Cameron sighed, “I had no idea Mum, if I had I’d never have written that statement, I… God Mum, I’m so sorry.”

“Cam” Bernie reached for his hand and squeezed it gently before putting her hand back on the steering wheel, “I know you didn’t know, and it’s fine, I don’t blame you, I know your Dad probably put a lot of things into your head, please don’t beat yourself up about it.”

“I know” he sighed again, “I’m still sorry though.”

“I know you are” Bernie nodded, “it’s probably going to take a while to get the house back, I’m going to do it properly, through the courts if I need to, I’ve already emailed my divorce lawyer to get the ball rolling but you and Charlie might need to make a statement saying you’ve moved out...”

“Of course” Cam nodded, “whatever I need to do I’ll do it.”

“I’m not bothered about the furniture so I’m going to let your Dad take what he wants as long as he leaves your room and Charlie’s as they are, that’s why I wanted the pictures.”

“Are you going to sell it?” Cam asked.

Bernie shook her head, “no, I erm, I’m going to offer to let Charlotte move in once she’s better, with Emma if she wants, but you’re welcome to go back too. The mortgage is paid off and I’ll replace whatever furniture your Dad takes so you’ll just need to pay the bills and if you need help with that then I’ll help you, and if you want Morven to move in too then that’d be okay with me.”

“Morven?” Cam pretended to be confused, “I don’t…”

“Come on Cam” Bernie glanced at him, “I’m not an idiot, and I’m your Mum, I know the two of you are, well, whatever you are. Morven’s a nice girl, as long as you’re happy then I’m fine with you two ‘going out’ or whatever you call it these days.”

“It’s early days” Cam admitted, “we’re just going to see what happens.”

“Sometimes that’s for the best” Bernie nodded, “don’t put any pressure on yourselves.”

“I don’t know if she’ll want to move in though, I think she likes sharing with Jasmine so…” he shrugged.

Bernie nodded, “if Morven did want to move in then, if it was okay with you and with Charlie and Emma then Jasmine could move in too if she wanted to, either you or Charlotte can have the master bedroom and Jasmine can have your room, the spare bedroom might be a bit small.”

Cameron frowned, “Are you sure? Don’t you want to move back in? It is your house after all.”

Bernie shook her head, “I don’t need a 4 bedroomed house, you and Charlie, as much as I hate to admit it, you’re growing up, you’re going to have families of your own one day and that house, well it’s meant to be a family home, when the time comes, you and Charlie can sell it, take half each to buy somewhere of your own.”

Cameron smiled, “I’d like that, if you’re sure, and Charlie can have the master bedroom, it’s got an ensuite and I might at least have a chance of using the other bathroom if Charlie’s got her own” he chuckled.

Bernie laughed, “keep your toothbrush in the downstairs loo” she chuckled.

“That actually sounds like a good idea” Cameron laughed.

“I do have them sometimes” Bernie laughed, glancing over at her son and smiling, “now, what do you want for dinner?”

They returned to the hospital a while later with a stack of pizzas, Bernie sending Cameron off to AAU to leave some in the staffroom for the staff on the nightshift before heading back up to Darwin, leaving some pizzas in their staffroom too, asking Matteo to let the staff know that they could help themselves, before making her way back to Charlotte’s room, smiling as she saw Serena and Emma sat either side of the bed, Emma holding Charlotte’s hand in her own.

“Everything okay?” Serena asked as Bernie put the pizzas down.

Bernie nodded, “yeah, I erm, yeah, Cam packed a lot of things for them both and…” she shrugged, “we got pizza for everyone”

Serena nodded, assuming Bernie needed time to process everything and that she’d talk about it in her own time, “where is Cameron?” she asked.

“I sent him to AAU with some pizzas, thought it might brighten up the nightshift for them.”

“Well well well” Serena teased, “trying to get my staff to think of you as the favourite hey?”

Bernie laughed as she picked up Charlotte’s notes, glancing through them, “how has she been?” she asked as she dropped the notes back into the holder, seeing nothing that worried her.

“She’s been okay” Serena nodded, “she woke about half an hour after you’d left but she wasn’t awake long, she asked where you were, Emma told her you’d gone to get some food with Cameron and she seemed to be okay with that, and she hasn't stirred since.”

Bernie smiled at Emma and nodded, “thank you…” she gestured to the pizza as Cameron walked into the room, “help yourself, we got a selection.”

They ate in silence for a while before Emma spoke, “I erm, I’m working tomorrow but then I’ve got a few days off, I erm, I wondered if you’d like me to sit with Charlie one night so you could go home and get some proper rest?”

Bernie thought for a moment, her mind replaying the conversation she’d had with Cameron, her children were adults, they had partners, had their own lives, she couldn’t shut Emma out of Charlotte’s life.  She knew if she was ill she’d want Serena by her side and she couldn’t deny Charlotte that, “I erm…” she nodded, “I’ll ask Charlotte the next time she wakes and if she’s okay with it then that would be nice, thank you.”

Serena looked shocked, Emma had mentioned offering to spend the night with Charlotte but she’d never imagined Bernie would give in so easily, and made a mental note to check she really was okay with the idea later on.  With Jason staying with Alan for the next few days, Serena planned on staying with Bernie after Emma and Cameron had gone home to give her chance to talk about what had happened with Marcus if she wanted to.

She didn’t have to wait long, Cameron and Emma stayed for another hour after they’d finished eating, Emma asking if she could come and visit again tomorrow, something which Bernie obviously agreed to, before offering Cameron a lift back into town, which he accepted, and saying her goodbyes.  Bernie couldn’t help but smile as she watched Emma kiss Charlotte’s temple and let her forehead rest against Charlotte’s as she whispered quietly to her, “I love you so much Charlie, I’m going home now but I’ll see you tomorrow, you just concentrate on getting better darling.” She kissed her temple again before stepping back slightly, allowing Cameron to say goodnight to his sister, Bernie and Serena both hugging Cameron and Emma before they finally left.

“Okay?” Serena stroked her thumb over the back of Bernie’s hand once they’d gone.

Bernie nodded and sipped at her bottle of water, “yeah, are you, I mean, can you stay? Just for a little bit?”

“Of course” Serena squeezed Bernie’s hand, “I’ll stay for as long as you need me to.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update last week but I really wasn't happy with what I'd written and I'd rather not update than give you something I don't like. I've edited and re-written a huge part of the chapter since and I'm happier with it now, so I hope you like it too!

Charlotte’s health improved dramatically over the next few days, the stronger antibiotics helping her body fight the infection that it couldn’t fight alone.  She spent another four nights on Darwin, two with Emma by her side, before she was declared well enough to go back down to AAU, Hanssen turning a blind eye to usual hospital regulations, so that Serena could take charge of Charlotte’s care once again and now, Serena, Matteo and Bernie were beginning to discuss her discharge from the hospital.

Bernie didn’t think she’d ever forget the first morning she’d come back to the hospital after spending the night at Serena’s. She’d been worried about leaving Charlotte even though her daughter had agreed that Bernie needed to get some proper sleep, promised that she’d be fine with Emma. Emma too had understood Bernie’s concern and had sent Bernie a text almost every hour until just after 11 when she’d let Bernie know that, after a brief period of wakefulness where she’d eaten almost a full bowl of porridge, Charlotte had fallen asleep and so she was going to try and sleep too.

She’d wanted to go back to the hospital almost as soon as she’d woken the next morning but Serena had convinced her to give them some time together, a text from Emma at 7.30 had let them know that Charlotte had only woken once in the night, that she’d been awake for less than half an hour before she’d fallen back to sleep and hadn’t yet woken again.

Bernie had finally arrived back at the hospital just before 9am and couldn't help but smile when she found Emma and Charlotte curled together in the bed, foreheads touching and the look on Charlotte’s face telling Bernie that her daughter hadn't been awake long, but even the short amount of time with Emma had been enough to put a smile on her face.

She’d spent another night with Serena as Emma kept her daughter company before heading into town to meet her solicitor to see about getting her house back, Cameron promising that he’d stay with Charlotte, he had the day off and he didn’t at all mind spending the morning with his sister, not letting on to Bernie that, with the help of Emma and Serena, he and Charlotte were trying to organise a surprise for their mother.

“No that’s fine, now we just need you two to sign it there and…” Cam’s head snapped up when he heard the door to Charlotte’s room open, Fletch and Serena both looking up to to find Bernie in the doorway, earlier than expected.

“What’s going on here?” Bernie frowned as she walked over to the bed that was covered in papers.

“We erm…” Cameron knew he couldn’t hide it from his mother and he bit his lip, handing over one of the many forms spread over the table over Charlotte’s bed.

“Deed polls, you’re changing your name?”

“Both of us” Charlotte croaked as she handed Bernie an identical form.

Bernie frowned again, “they needed two witnesses to sign the form” Fletch gestured between himself and Serena, explaining why they were in the room.

“I’ve already spoken to a solicitor about the official bits, he’s coming in to see us tomorrow and we need someone who’s known us for more than 10 years to sign the declaration, I managed to find one of our old teachers on facebook and he’s agreed to come in and do it for us.”

“I don’t…” Bernie read the names, both Charlotte and Cameron’s first and middle names remained the same, “oh” she felt a lump in her throat as she realised all they were changing were their surnames, that they wanted to become Charlotte and Cameron Wolfe.

“Is it okay?” Charlotte asked quietly.

Bernie bit her lip, “is that what you both want to do?” Both children nodded, “then it’s absolutely fine by me, I’ll pay for it for you both, I’ll pay the solicitor too and...”

“No need Mum” Cam stood to let his mother sit down, “it’s all been sorted” he glanced up at Serena but he wasn’t discreet enough.

“You…” Bernie looked up at her partner.

Serena bit her lip and nodded shyly, “I knew you wouldn’t want Cameron paying for it himself so…”

“Thank you” Bernie smiled, “thank you so much.”

Serena shook her head and reached for Bernie’s hand, “you don’t need to thank us Darling.”

Charlotte nodded in agreement, “you’re a good mum, I know you think you’re not but you are…”

“Charlie’s right” Cam interrupted as he laid his hand on Bernie’s shoulder, “the only people that can judge you as a parent are Charlie and I and neither of us think you’re a bad parent. We were angry when you left Dad, but now we know how unhappy you were, how much happier you are now.  You’ve done more for us than we ever knew, than he ever did and we don’t, after everything, we want parents who are going to love, support and accept us for who we are” he looked between Serena and his mother, “we don’t want to be associated with him any more.”

Bernie nodded, “you’re both adults, you can do what you want” she told them, “you can call yourselves what you want and you can certainly love whoever you want, but I will always, always be here if you need me, Serena and I both.”

Serena nodded as Fletch slipped from the room, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment, he could sign the papers later, “I will” she agreed, “if you ever need anything and, for whatever reason, you feel like you can’t speak to your Mum, you can always come to me.”

Bernie couldn’t help but smile when, a few hours later Fletch had walked into the room, signed his name on both deed polls and produced a whiteboard marker from the pocket of his scrubs, wiping ‘Dunn’ from the whiteboard above Charlotte’s bed and replacing it with ‘Wolfe’, “might as well start getting used to it now” he’d told Charlotte with a smile.

A few days later and it was decided that Charlotte was well enough to be discharged into Bernie’s care and she was bundled up in blankets and warm clothes for the short journey from AAU to Bernie’s car, “here we are” Bernie carefully lowered Charlotte onto the sofa after practically carrying her from the lift, Charlotte still weak from being so ill, “home sweet home.”

It was only once Bernie had helped Charlotte undress down to a more sensible amount of clothing that Bernie noticed her flat, there were just 8 days until Christmas but with Charlotte having been so ill, that fact had completely slipped Bernie’s mind and she made a mental note to finish off her Christmas shopping online that night.  She’d given Cameron her keys, asked him to bring some of her own clothes in for Charlotte even though she knew they’d be far too big for her, so Bernie reasoned that he must be the one behind the large, fully decorated Christmas tree in the corner of her living room, the fairy lights that hung in her window and the decorations that seemed to adorn every surface, she knew why he’d done it though, Charlotte loved Christmas, and, in Bernie’s opinion, the smile on her daughter’s face was worth every tacky Santa ornament in her flat.

“Can I get you anything?” Bernie sat on the coffee table and took Charlotte’s hands in her own, “a drink? Something to eat?”

"A drink please” Charlotte nodded, “but then, would you mind if I had a nap? I know it’s not far but walking from the car’s exhausted me.”

“Of course” Bernie smiled and squeezed Charlotte’s hand, “it’ll take you a while to get your strength back up, but it’s okay, we can work on that once you’re completely better, just listen to your body, if you need to rest then rest, it’s the best thing you can be doing.”

Unsurprisingly, once she’d finished the hot chocolate Bernie had made her, after finding her kitchen full of Charlotte’s favourite foods thanks again to Cameron, Charlotte asked her Mumma to lay with her, “isn’t this your bed?” she asked sleepily once she’d changed into her pyjamas, Bernie laid by her side.

“I’ve only got one bedroom” Bernie told her, “but I thought you wouldn’t mind sharing.”

“I don’t” Charlotte nuzzled closer to Bernie, “it’s nice, comfier than the hospital bed.”

“It is” Bernie smiled as she ran her fingers through Charlotte’s hair, “more room too, not that we need it” she chuckled, Charlotte laying almost right on top of her as always.

“Do you want me to move?” Charlotte yawned.

“Not if you’re comfortable” Bernie kissed Charlotte’s head, “now close your eyes and get some sleep, Cam’s coming round after his shift and I think he mentioned Emma popping over too” she saw Charlotte’s face light up, “get some sleep” she laughed, “you don’t want to sleep through Emma being here do you?”

Charlotte shook her head, eyes already closed, “love you Mumma” 

Bernie smiled as she felt Charlotte’s body relax as she began to drift to sleep, “I love you too Darling.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update is a bit late, things at home have been a bit crazy and, to cut a long story short, I set aside some time to write earlier in the week but ended up sitting in A&E with my Gran instead!
> 
> I also feel like I'm running out of steam with this fic a little, when I started writing it, my ideas only stretched as far as Charlotte being ill. I had hoped that as I wrote it, more ideas would come to mind but that hasn't happened so I might bring this to an end fairly soon, or at least get it to a point where I can leave it for a while to think about where I want to take it next (which might even be the end of this chapter, I don't know). I think what I'm trying to say is that updates might become a little less frequent as I try to decide what it is I want to do with this fic.

Bernie went back to work a few days after Charlotte’s discharge, Charlotte felt guilty that her mother had taken so much time off work because of her, and, knowing Serena had tweaked the rota slightly, Bernie reluctantly returned to work, not wanting Charlotte to be worrying about her taking more leave.

Serena’s input into the rota meant that, when Bernie was working, either Cameron, or Serena herself were off to sit with Charlotte, to put Bernie’s mind at ease, and Serena had even worked around Emma’s job to allow Charlotte to spend time with her partner.

Charlotte had become quite fond of Serena, and, just like her mother had told her, the other woman was only to happy to sit curled up on the bed with Charlotte when she was with her, hugging and cuddling her, and she was even happy for Charlotte to fall asleep on her the way she did with Bernie.

“I bet you’re enjoying sharing with your Mum” Serena smiled one afternoon as they sat on the bed, an old, black and white film playing on the tv that sat atop the chest of drawers.

Charlotte shook her head, “we don’t… she lays with me until I fall asleep and then goes to sleep on the sofa bed, says she didn’t want me to wake when she gets up for work, and she still wakes early from being in the army too.”

“Ah, I suppose that makes sense” Serena nodded, hiding her surprise, knowing Bernie didn’t own a sofa bed.

“I just wish I could do something to help her out, going round with the hoover or doing the pots or something but even going for a shower wipes me out” Charlotte sighed, letting her head fall onto Serena’s shoulder.

“Your Mum understands Charlotte, she knows you need to recover and you’ll get your energy back in time, as frustrating as it is you need to try and listen to your body, pushing yourself won’t help.”

“I know” Charlotte nodded before yawning, “sorry.”

Serena smiled, “you get some rest” she helped Charlotte lay down in the bed and turned off the TV, “I’ll be in the living room when you wake up” she said, straightening the covers around Charlotte as she stood up, “I’ll make sure the pots are done and go round with the hoover before your mum gets home” she winked playfully.

Once Charlotte was asleep, Serena made her way into the living room, frowning when she saw a neatly stacked pile of blankets and pillows by the sofa and she sighed softly as she took out her phone and dialed Bernie’s number, “Serena” Bernie sounded worried when she answered the phone, “is Charlotte okay?”

“Fast asleep” Serena reassured her, “she erm, she told me you’ve been sleeping on the sofa bed.”

“Ah, yes, well, I didn’t want her to worry.”

“You can’t keep sleeping on the sofa, you’ll put your back out.”

“I’ll be fine Serena honestly.”

Serena bit her lip slightly, “you erm, you’re off tomorrow aren’t you?”

“I am” Bernie confirmed, “why?”

“I want you to start packing.”

Bernie frowned slightly, “packing? What for?”

“You can’t keep sleeping on a sofa Bernie, you and Charlotte can come and stay with me, you can have the guest room and Charlotte can have Elinor’s room or…”

“Or what?”

“Or Charlotte could have the guest room and you could bunk up with me?”

“She erm, she still likes me to lay with her sometimes” Bernie said nervously.

Serena smiled, “well then you can both share the guest room, I don’t mind Bernie, just as long as you’re not sleeping on that sofa.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course” Serena nodded, “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”

“What about Jason?” Bernie queried, not wanting to put him out.

“Jason will be fine, I’ll talk to him and explain, I’m sure he and Charlotte will get along just fine.”

Bernie didn’t have time to respond when Serena heard a knock and then Fletch’s voice, “Red phone, single car RTA, driver with abdo and lower limb trauma, ETA 8 minutes.”

She heard Bernie thank Fletch before turning her attention back to the phone in her hand, “I’ve got to…”

“Go” Serena told her, “I’ll see you later.”

Bernie mumbled a goodbye before ending the phone call leaving Serena stood in the living room with a smile on her face at the thought of living with Bernie.  She slipped her phone back into her pocket and poked her head into the bedroom, smiling when she saw Charlotte was still asleep, wrapped up tightly in the duvet clutching a pillow to her chest.

Remembering her promise to Charlotte Serena made her way into the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves and filling the bowl with water to wash the small collection of crockery and cutlery piled on the side next to the sink, she’d wash up now and then hoover up once Charlotte was awake.

When Bernie came home, she opened the door of the flat to the smell of something amazing that Serena was obviously cooking, a few more steps inside and she could hear Serena and Charlotte laughing together and she couldn’t help but smile at how well Serena and Charlotte got on, especially if they were going to be living together, but she knew she’d have to run the suggestion past Charlotte before making the move.

“I’m home” she called as she kicked off her shoes and hung her jacket on the hooks by the door.

She heard Serena murmur something to Charlotte before her partner appeared in the hallway, “hello you, good day?”

“Better for being home with you and Charlie” Bernie smiled, happily accepting the hug and chaste kiss Serena gave her.

“Good” Serena grinned, “go and say hello to Charlie, get changed if you want, dinner will be about 15 minutes, Charlie wants to try and sit at the table to eat with us tonight.”

“That’s great” Bernie grinned, “I’ll go and see her now, thanks” she smiled, leaning in to steal another kiss from her partner before heading off in the direction of her bedroom to see her daughter.

“Mumma” Charlotte’s face lit up when she saw Bernie walk into the room.

Bernie smiled and sat down on the bed, not at all surprised when her daughter curled into her side almost instantly, “how are you feeling?” Bernie asked as she kissed Charlotte’s hair.

“I’m okay, I had a good nap earlier and Serena made us pasta for lunch.”

“That sounds good” Bernie tucked Charlotte’s hair back from her face, “I hope you made the most of Serena’s cooking, I’m off tomorrow and then you’re stuck with Cam the day after so it’ll be beans on toast” she chuckled, her son having inherited her lack of culinary skills.

Charlotte chuckled, a sound Bernie would never grow sick of hearing, “I like beans on toast” she pouted.

“It’s a good job with me and Cam cooking, but when Cam’s here keep an eye on him, make sure I don’t come home to find my flat’s burnt down.”

Charlotte laughed again, “maybe I’ll ask him to stick to sandwiches.”

“Good plan” Bernie kissed Charlotte’s hair again, playing with her daughter’s blonde waves as she built up the courage to tell Charlotte, “there’s something I need to talk to you about.” She felt Charlotte tense in her arms but pulled her tighter into her embrace, “it’s nothing bad Darling, you don’t need to worry?”

“What is it?” Charlotte asked nervously.

“I erm, I haven’t got a sofa bed, I’ve just been sleeping on the sofa so I didn’t disturb you” she admitted.

“Mum” Charlotte gasped, “you should have said something, you should just have slept in here, you know I can sleep through anything!”

“Serena knows I don’t have a sofa bed” Bernie told Charlotte, “she called me after you told her that was where I’d been sleeping.”

“I’m sorry” Charlotte mumbled, bowing her head, “I didn’t mean to…”

“No” Bernie kissed her again, “don’t apologise, you weren’t to know, but erm, Serena, she’s invited us both to go and stay with her, you’d have your own room and I’d, well, I’d share with Serena obviously. But I, I wanted to make sure you’d be okay with that.”

Charlotte lifted her head to look up at Bernie, “would you still be able to lay with me sometimes?”she asked timidly.

“Of course” Bernie was quick to answer, “I’ll lay with you every night if you want me to, and if you need me to spend a night in with you then I’ll do that Charlotte, no matter where we live, who we live with, you and Cameron will always be my priorities and Serena understands that.”

Charlotte nodded, “I like Serena”

“And I like you too.” Both Bernie and Charlotte looked up to see Serena stood in the bedroom doorway, “and your Mum’s right” she came and sat on the edge of the bed, taking Charlotte’s hand and squeezing it softly, “I would never take your Mum away from you, I’d never expect her to leave you if you needed comforting and I know your Mum would feel the same about my daughter and I.”

“And if we’re living with Serena, I’m sure she’d be only too happy to give you as many hugs as you want.”

“Of course” Serena chuckled.

Charlotte looked at Serena, “would Emma still be able to come and see me?”

“Of course” Serena nodded, “she’d be welcome round whenever you wanted her to come round, and if you wanted her to stay over then that would be absolutely fine too, if you and your Mum come to live with me then I want you to treat it like your own home, you don’t have to ask my permission if you want to see Emma.”

Charlotte nodded, “thank you”

“Oh Charlotte” Serena moved so she could hug her tightly, “you don’t need to thank me Love, you don’t need to thank me at all.”


End file.
